Castle of Glass
by Cristaline
Summary: During a period of grief, Rin returns temporarily to Sesshomaru's side to soothe her sorrow and catch a glimpse of what a life among demons would be like. She discovers that her lord's existence is not endless patrols anymore. Prosperous leader, she soon finds herself entangled in tales of conquests and mysteries, intrigue and seduction. S/R
1. A Chance Of Escape

All For Her Smile

Summary: After a great tragedy, a grieving Rin receives the visit of an unexpected guest, who is determined to see her smile again. Feudal era, Sess/Rin.

A/N: This story should last a couple of chapters, I don't expect it to be very long.

It's certainly not my first fanfic, nor my first Sess/Rin story, but it's definitely the first one I choose to write in English. I apologize in advance for the spelling and grammatical errors, and I hope you will enjoy anyway :)

Chapter 1: A Chance Of Escape

The hungry beast yelled, as the deadly inuyoukai sliced its body into pieces, leaving bloody filth behind him. The lord glared at what was left of the feeble demon, but he didn't clean Bakusaiga…he was expecting others…he stayed still as a rock as he waited for the strikes of other weaklings.

Sesshomaru wasn't in a very pleasant mood. This was at least the hundredth beast he had put to death today. Demons were growing in numbers, and hunger, attacking everywhere…his lands, other demon lands…human's lands…

…It seems the other demons in the area decided to stay well away from his sight. The dog demon repressed a sigh, ignored the demon stench lurking in the air and moved forward. He didn't have time to waste.

Those demons were everywhere… He hadn't seen so many enemies since Naraku's death, nine years ago. Sesshomaru had a bad feeling…he had the terrible intuition they had attacked his ward's village a well.

Yes…the splendid maiden he calls his ward might be in danger. He did his best all these years to trust his half brother's instincts to protect her, but he had the impression even his father's hanyou son might not be enough to protect his Rin at the moment. Even though the Western lands were frequently under attack since the beginning of spring, he felt compelled to make sure she was safe.

Rin had grown more distant and independent over the past couple of years, and that the innocent child he had protected had become a very different being. No matter…he still cared, and needed to see her breathe. With a bit of luck, he might even see her smile. He would never forget himself if she perished prematurely because he left her in human care.

Soon enough, the late sunrays receded in a red sunset. It was suddenly very quiet. The demon put his blade back in its scabbard, and flew high in the air, hoping he wasn't too late.

…

«Kaede-sama, please you need to rest!»

«I'm afraid it's no use, my dear…I don't have much time left», croaked the old woman. Kaede cough violently in her sleeve. A poisonous arrow had caught her in the lung, she knew she wasn't going to survive.

«Kaede… at least let me get some help. Maybe Kagome could…»

«Stop it Rin. I'm dying», interrupted Kaede. «I need you to write down my wills. Kagome, Inu-Yasha and Shippo are doing their best to take care of the injured villagers…and Sango is too deep in grief to be disturbed. Miroku has to take care of her. You need to understand you are the only one who can do this for me. I know this is hard…»

«But…»

«No buts, young lady. Be an adult and indulge this old woman»

Defeated, the young women bowed her head and went to get ink and paper. She couldn't believe she was loosing Kaede as well. She swallowed her tears and smiled reassuringly at the old lady who had become a second mother to her.

«I'm listening Kaede…»

The dying miko blankly recited information and wishes Rin absently wrote down on rough rice paper. Her hopes were gone and her mind was numb. Just what was she going to do without her Kaede and her intended? She had worked so hard to do as she was told: learn to socialize and obey, understand the differences between dreams and reality, desires and obligation, find a meaning to her life, learn to let go of everything that was dear to her to build anew. And still…she was losing everything…

«That is all my dear Rin…I thank you for being so kind…», whispered Kaede as she closed her eyes.

«Kaede-sama…not yet…please!», pleaded Rin, while trying not to weep.

«Not yet…but soon enough…»

«Kaede-sama, Rin-chan», interrupted a villager «I'm sorry for interrupting. You have a visitor…»

«A visitor?», wondered Rin.

«Yes…he's finally here…», whispered Kaede. «Please let him in»

Rin hazel's eyes went wide as a white, familiar –and utterly beautiful- figure appeared at the doorstep of the hut.

A silenced erupted as the youkai and the maiden stared at each other. Only the noise of crickets and wind reminded them that time hadn't stopped.

«Rin, it has been a while…», stated Sesshomaru as he got in. «…a year, maybe?»

«My lord…», whispered Rin. «I didn't expect you»

«You should have. I was concerned», admitted the handsome demon. «However, I have come for the old lady as well…»

«Yes Sesshomaru. I was waiting », acknowledged Kaede. «Rin, please leave us»

«But! Kaede!»

«Don't worry, I'll still be there when we'll be done, the youkai lord as well.»

Puzzled, yet obedient, Rin nodded and left without saying a word.

«Sesshomaru-sama. As you see, Rin is safe and well»

«But sad»

Kaede sighed. «Many people died my lord, including Kohaku, the boy she was supposed to marry».

The demon raised an eyebrow «Rin was betrothed to the young demon slayer?»

«No…not yet…but he has been courting her for a while. Rin was expecting his proposal at any moment…»

«And she meant to accept?»

«Of course Sesshomaru-sama. You know how much she cared for him…»

«…I suppose I might have poorly evaluated what their relationship was all about…»

«Maybe so. You haven't come very often since Rin has grown into a woman»

«I didn't feel she needed my company that much anymore…»

«Maybe so my lord, but you are still very important to her…» Kaede coughed. «I'm glad she succeeded finding happiness with humans. If she decides to leave, she will at least have a home here…waiting for her, whatever happens. Now, if you wish to have her by your side, this might be a good time, considering she lost her soon-to-be husband and that she will lose me very soon…»

The youkai lord raised an eyebrow again. «I know for sure you don't want Rin to come back to me. Yet you know if I ask her this question during such a hard time, her judgement might be flawed»

«Do my wishes really matter? I only asked you to let her learn to live with humans. You've granted me my wish, my lord»

«And she found happiness with her kind. Who am I to ask this young woman to roam with me?», asked Sesshomaru.

«You don't want to ask her, my lord?»

«I never said that. », replied the youkai with a stiff coldness. «I merely think the time is not ripe.»

«Maybe you are right…For now, maybe you should give her more company in these hard times, she would surely appreciate it», suggested Kaede.

«I have obligations»

«And yet you still came today to make sure she was okay…», whispered Kaede.

The old woman took deep breaths.

«Life is leaving my body for good, now. I will not speculate further on what is better for Rin. I don't know if your demon soul may ever can understand her needs and feelings, now that she is grown, but I hope you will succeed taking good care of her…or make sure someone else will.»

«Hmph, do not take me for a fool. I can protect her.»

«Rin needs more than protection, my lord. She is a human, not a mere pet, I hope you understand that.»

«If you are done with your insults, I shall leave», replied coldly the dog demon as he stood up.

«Wait, Sesshomaru…this is not what I meant…I just wanted to let you know she is old enough to make her own decisions…but she is a fragile being…a beautiful flower that has bloomed even though her soil was tainted by so much darkness…please…make sure she stays beautiful…and happy. She is like a daughter…to me… »

And then she started breathing heavily. The demon could smell death on her.

«I will, lady Kaede…»

He unsheathed Tenseiga.

«No my lord…this body is old and I've lived long enough already…please…let me go…»

He frowned slightly. His ward was not going to like this.

«As you wish»

As he walked out , he saw Rin run toward the hut with the hanyou and the others. He let them come in, as he sat by the door. He vaguely heard them exchange a few last words, but he wasn't listening. A few seconds of silence made him turn his head.

Kaede closed her eyes…and she smiled…

…

The smell of incense was smothering. Her back, knees and feet were sore, but she kept praying…

Praying for all the villagers who died, for Kaede…

For Kohaku.

Rin tried not to cry. She could still feel his trembling hands on hers, his weak smile, his…cold lips on hers, as he was dying…to bid her farewell.

Kaede's death had been painful…but never as much as Kohaku's…Like her, he had been a damaged child, but they had found happiness together, they had found the will to live together, and they were ready to spent the rest of their lives proving the kamis they can take control of their own destiny…

But a snake demon bit him, while he was trying to protect her from other foes. Death was upon him, painful but quick, stealing his soul before they could exchange proper goodbyes…

…leaving her only his cold lips, empty eyes and freckles surrounded by pale skin. Kohaku died…He is dead…he is…

Rin suddenly shut her eyes and quickly stood up. She briefly looked at the pool of tears she left on the wooden floor and blew the last candle that was left on the altar of the temple. She walked out as if the entire place was on fire. She needed to leave and quick. She felt nauseous, weak and feverish. She needed to run away, but she didn't know where.

As the cool breeze touched her cheeks, she felt eyes on her. She instinctively put her hand on the dagger hidden under her obi, until she spotted the spy…A pair of amber eyes, staring at her from a tree, shining in the darkness. He jumped out and landed in front of her. Rin quickly wiped her tears.

«Sesshomaru-sama…Wh-what are you doing here?»

«I wanted to make sure you were okay»

Rin took a deep breath. «How can I be okay? I lost two of the most important people in my life Sesshomaru-sama! I am not okay!», she blurted out as more tears fell, but she quickly stared at the ground.

«I'm sorry my lord, I…didn't want to be so…»

«Do not apologize Rin. I know you are in pain. My words were poorly chosen»

«…I'm…afraid I'm poor company for you my lord…maybe you should come back some other time…», whispered the young woman.

He delicately touched her chin with his hand to force her to look at him, and brushed away the tears on her cheeks with his thumb.

«Nonsense. I know what grief is, and I do not intend to leave you alone», retorted firmly the inuyoukai, but his eyes were soft as he looked at her. Rin blushed and gave him a timid smile.

«Thank you…my lord»

«Come now», he said as his hand left her cheek and he turned on his heels.

Rin nodded and silently followed him. They were going to the woods. Slowly but surely, the smells and sounds of the village became distant and being replaced by the smell of pines and dead leaves. She could hear owls and wolves far away, but she wasn't scared. Her lord was there, and even if she were alone, she knew how to fight.

«Where are we going?»

«Nowhere. I simply wanted to make sure the half breed could not sneak in.»

«You hate Inu-Yasha so much?»

«My hatred has nothing to do with this. I simply do not want him to interfere»

They suddenly arrived in a meadow. The youkai lord sat next to a tree and laid his back on the trunk.

«Sit down, Rin»

She sat next to him and bit her lip. She hoped it wasn't about what she thought it was.

«How old are you, now?»

«Soon to be eighteen, my lord…»

«And you were about to marry…I didn't know you were so close to Kohaku», he said as he stole a sideway glance at her.

«Well…it wasn't so serious…my lord…I mean, we did not…we didn't have the time to…» Rin sighed «We barely held hands!»

The lord raised an eyebrow «Are you trying to explain yourself, Rin?»

«Well…I…uh…»

«I am not judging you, that was simple curiosity», explained the demon.

«Well…if that's okay with you…I'd rather not talk so much about it…I don't want to bore you with all the details…I…don't think you are the type to linger on the past anyway»

«I'm not, but no one can bear loosing a loved one without a fair share of pain», he said, low, almost in a whisper.

«So, you already lost people you cared about, my lord?», she asked, suddenly curious over his admission.

«The pang in the chest and the uncontrollable fear at the thought you will never see this person again…», he mused. «I know the feeling…And I know for a fact that you may want to be alone for a while. If so, just say the word and I'll leave you be», answered the inuyoukai, while staring at the moon.

«N-no…don't leave me…my lord», pleaded Rin. «I…the pain…I don't think so much about it since you are with me», she whispered, shy and content all at once.

The demon simply nodded and enjoyed the silence for a while. Rin shot a discreet glance to him, trying to stare without him noticing. He was so different than Kohaku…No dark unruly hair, tanned skin , warm smile and careless boyish attitude…Sesshomaru was all the opposite: Silver hair, pale skin, angular face, reminding her how high he was in demon hierarchy. But his fearless eyes, purple stripes and spiky armor showed a warrior. And the soft sound of his calm breathing and the stillness of his silhouette in the dark night reminded her of his impassivity…of the cold assassin he hides while she is around.

Under his young traits was hiding an old soul, wise and experienced, unable to make mistakes…Sesshomaru…coolness, mystery and perfection…just what was he doing with her during this chilly night? Why was a he giving so much attention to a sad…weak human woman…

«I have something to ask you Rin», he suddenly said, pulling her out of her reverie.

«My lord…», she whispered.

«You have been almost nine years in this village. Have you ever travelled?»

«…No my lord…not a single time», she admitted. «Are you…going to ask me to choose between a life here or with you?»

«No…this is not the right time. You are old enough, but you need to heal your wounds before you can make a fair decision. However, this doesn't mean this village should be your prison…»

«My…prison?»

«I find it hard to believe you really enjoy your life here, if it means never going out. I think fresh air would help you feel better, but I need to watch over my lands during such unsettling times…»

«What are you thinking about, my lord?», asked Rin with curiosity.

«You should come with me to the Western castle for summer. It is quieter and safer than this village. It would also remind you of what you have left nine years ago…»

«So I could…travel with you again? And see master Jaken? And Ah-Un?»

«Yes you can see Jaken and Ah-Un, you could travel, or do anything else you want. I don't care…as long as it helps you heal », he said as he glanced at her. « …When the days will start getting shorter, you can come back here, and even choose your fate, if you are ready»

Rin felt her eyes become teary. A year ago or two, she would have been thrilled by the idea, but her sad state was preventing her to be as joyful as she should be. But deep in her heart, she knew she should be happy. An entire summer…with lord Sesshomaru!

She smiled politely to him, looking at him in the eyes. Her feelings for him were always deep, but she didn't know what they were. Long ago, he had been her hero, and guardian…and prince charming (she tried not to blush at the thought). He never felt like family...and yet, she felt like he could read her every thoughts.

If truth be told, she had stopped trying to decipher her relationship with him long ago, but now, it was nagging her again. Just what was he to her? Could she really spend a life with him? Was he worth sacrificing everything she achieved, to go back to the wilderness?

«Rin…you haven't answered my question», reminded Sesshomaru, as if aware her mind was full of doubts, and trying to get her back to her initial enthusiasm.

«My lord, of course I would love to! Thank you for your kindness!», she told him, grinning at the same time.

Sesshomaru chose not to comment over her fake smile and teary eyes. She couldn't hide her pain but he didn't mind. Because he knew someday, she was going to smile again.

He will make sure of that.

…End of chapter…

What do you think? Please review!


	2. Storms come and go

A/N: Thanks to SlytherinBabe and ayamechin for the reviews! Feedback is always appreciated

I had this quote in my head and I decided to use it for the title of this chapter, but after googling it I realized it was a quote in George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire XD

So there might be other resemblances I'm not aware of in expressions and vocabulary, since I'm reading those right now…oh well…Rating is T for now, but it might change later in the story…not sure yet…

Chapter 2: Storms Come And Go

The road to the Western lands was quiet , except for the songs of birds and the rustling of leaves due to a warm summer breeze. Sunrays succeeded piercing through the thick foliage of the forest, making the weather surprisingly hot for this time of the year. At some point, the path opened on a vast meadow, making the sun even more visible. The temperature was as hot as in summer. Rin briefly closed her eyes, to enjoy the feel of the sunrays on her skin, forgetting her sorrow for a brief moment. She always enjoyed the warm weather.

She knew Sesshomaru's lands were slightly more the north, she hoped it would be warm, yet a tiny bit cooler than what her village had to go through each year.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Sesshomaru shoot a glance to the east, frowning for a brief moment.

"What is it, my lord?"

"…A storm is coming"

Rin looked in the same direction as he did a moment ago and noticed high columns of black, covering a part of the sky. A lightning suddenly flashed through the black clouds. Rin's eyes grew wide…She hated thunderstorms. She quickened her pace to catch up with the youkai lord.

"The wind is not blowing in our direction, I don't think it will come over here…", she commented.

"Don't get mistaken. The wind's direction around this area is unpredictable, and the instability in the air makes me believe it will change soon", replied calmly Sesshomaru.

"Oh…I see…", replied timidly the young woman. She had briefly forgotten the youkai lord had keen senses. "So…is there any kind of shelter around here?", she asked worriedly.

"Hmph…the trees of course", replied the youkai, matter-of-factly.

"The trees? I didn't think it was the best place to go during a storm…"

"Better than a meadow anyway", replied Sesshomaru, while stealing a glance at his ward.

Rin gulped.

"We will get back to a woody area soon.", added Sesshomaru, as if reading her mind.

"So…there is nothing safer around here?", asked Rin timidly.

"There is a cave not too far away, but I highly doubt we will arrive on time…"

"Well…there is no time to waste, then!", replied Rin as she fastened her pace.

The elegant lord raised an eyebrow. "I didn't remember you were scared of storms…Rin"

She tried not to panic, as she heard the roaring thunder. "I wasn't scared, until recently…"

She felt his eyes on her, as if telling her to continue. "A lightning almost hit me last summer, when I had the fabulous idea to visit Kohaku at the end of a storm. The entire village heard me scream. But Inu-Yasha and Shippo thought the whole story was very funny", explained an annoyed looking Rin.

The sky darkened. Rin was almost running now, but the youkai barely had to fasten his pace to catch up with her.

"You mean it fell in the village while you were outside…"

"It fell right next to me, on the chief villager's house! At least there were no one inside…"

"Hmm…I see. I suppose it must have been quite unpleasant", commented the youkai lord.

Rin giggled at this remark. "Unpleasant? I was scared out of my mind! Oh well…at least I got a little empathy from you, my lord…unlike some others…"

The wind was blowing harder. Rin let a sigh of relief escape her lips as they finally got back in the forest.

BANG!

Rin was startled, but Sesshomaru hardly reacted to the loud thunder. Gentle rain started to fall.

"Let's leave the path for now. We'll go up this hill…"

"So we won't get any puddle at our feet?" supposed Rin.

"Yes, and the cave is in this direction. We might be able to reach it before it starts pouring…"

But the rain quickly became heavy. The sky was now almost as dark as a moonless night. The youkai looked thoughtfully at leaves being blown by the harsh wind and stopped in his track. There was no time left.

"Quick my lord!", urged Rin.

"No"

"Wh-what?!"

"We will stop here. There is another meadow to cross before reaching the cavern. It would be better to stay around here for a while"

Rin looked at him worriedly and nodded. They hid under a thick and wide willow tree. The foliage was so thick that the ground was still perfectly dry. Sesshomaru aloofly sat on a root. Rin sat on the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs protectively.

Bright flashes were seen, followed by hard thunder…Rin was startled again and hid her face on her knees. The youkai looked at her with mild curiosity.

"Are you alright, Rin?"

"N-No! I hate this!", she squeaked. "We're not safe here!"

"Nonsense. It'll be over even before…»

BAAAAANG! Rin barely heard her own scream as the thunder boomed. She glanced at her lord, who had stood up and was looking at a nearby tree struck by the lightning. The willow's branches were now flying all around. Even then, she was not prepared for what came next.

BANNG BAAAANG!

Even Sesshomaru was startled this time. Two other lightning bolts had fallen on nearby trees, one of them was struck so bad the trunk collapsed with a sinister creak.

"The trees are too high. Let's leave", he said.

"But…to go where?", asked Rin worriedly.

"The cave. Come." He took her by the wrist and he ran. She had no choice but to follow.

They ran for a while in the forest. Rin didn't mind, even though the soil was slippery. She'd rather run like crazy than stay under a tree, praying that the sky doesn't fall on them.

They arrived in a meadow. The rain poured on them as if an ocean was coming from the sky. There was water everywhere, and the thunder never seemed too far. There were surprisingly broken branches flying around, which probably explained why the lord didn't dare to fly. Rin was relieved when she finally saw the small cave, at the base of a hill.

"Finally!"

Sesshomaru looked in her direction, but she just had the time to see his amber eyes go wide, before she felt one of her foot hit a rock. She yelled in pain and fell on the ground. The pain was so blinding she didn't dare move. She felt two strong arms pull her out of the muddy grass and keep running until they reached the cave. Sesshomaru gently laid her down on the stony ground. She was holding her foot and whimpering in pain.

"Rin, are you alright?"

Rin could hear more than a hint of worry in his voice. She looked at her foot. One of her toe was bleeding, but it didn't looked so bad.

"I think…it will be alright", she replied. She smiled reassuringly at him.

BANG!

"Eeeek!"

Rin folded once again her legs against her chest and held them tight. She laid her head on her knees and looked miserably at her lord.

"Rin…we're safe now", he said as he was discarding his armor.

"I know…but…I can't control it…I'm sorry", she whispered.

The youkai lord raised an eyebrow.

"You shouldn't be so scared of thunderstorms, Rin. You should enjoy the view, now that we have found a decent shelter", he replied stoically.

"…N-no… I can't…Kohaku…he liked storms too…look where he is now…", she whispered sadly.

Sesshomaru smelt tears. He fought back an urge to slap himself for saying something that made his ward upset. A sideway glance told him she desperately tried to keep her cool, but she was failing miserably.

"I apologize my lord. Usually, I try not to bother anyone when I'm sad, but there is no place for me to hide now", she explained, while wiping a tear.

He simply looked at her. She shouldn't have to hide…His ward was in pain, but it wasn't the type of injury who can be healed only with rest and time. Even he was aware that an injury of the heart was more complicated to shut. She needed help…some kind of support maybe?

Her distress was slowly getting to him. Was it really a good idea to take her from her village when she was in such a state? Her human friends would have known what to do, but he didn't. The Rin he knew was happy, cheerful and…self-sufficient. Of course, she would require entertainment once in a while, and to be protected, but it was the first time he was seeing her so pained . No one was here with her, but him. Maybe the old miko was right…maybe he simply lacked the words and emotional skills to make her feel better.

He hated that thought.

No…he couldn't just stay next to her and watch her cry. He needed to do something…but what?

Maybe honesty was the only thing required.

"Rin…I", he started. She wiped her tears again and looked at him.

For the second time, he fought back the urge to slap himself. Why was he hesitating? He wasn't struggling so much when he talked to her after she had gotten out of the shrine, but it's true she wasn't in such a visible state of sadness…openly crying and unable to stop…

"I wish I could do something to help, but I believe we are very different beings. I frankly do not know what to say", he calmly admitted.

She smiled weakly. "You don't need to say anything, my lord. I didn't expect you to comfort me. You already told me you understand what grief is and you're bringing me to the Western Lands. Isn't that enough?"

"I'm aware this isn't helping you at the moment", he said matter-of-factly.

"Well…I suppose I will feel better with time. I don't think there is anything you can do for me…Sesshomaru-sama", she said. "Well…maybe one thing…but…Nevermind…"

"Why shouldn't I mind?", he insisted.

"…I can't possibly ask you that…", she replied shyly, but he insistent gaze told her otherwise.

"Well…a hug would really be nice", she admitted, while blushing furiously. He raised an eyebrow, which made her panic.

"But…I won't ask you that, my lord! I know you don't hug people!"

"Really?"

"It's-it's a human thing! I can't ask you that!" she insisted.

"Human thing? No…to embrace is not an exclusively human behaviour", he corrected.

"But!"

"Rin, was I ever judgemental towards you?", he asked with a hint of irritation, as he discarded his soaked fur.

Rin's blush went a shade redder. "N-no. Never"

"Then why are you so self-conscious?"

"I…I suppose I didn't expect you would want to be so close to a human", she said, while looking away.

Was his disdain for humans supposed to refrain him from helping his ward? It seemed a ridiculous thought. He decided to make the first move while she wasn't looking. He slid an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She seemed shocked for a brief moment, but she finally seemed let go of her illogical thoughts and slid her arms around his back.

"Are you aware you have a human in your arms, my lord?", she asked in a whisper.

"Yes. So?", he asked indifferently.

She smiled and closed her eyes. Her cheeks were so hot they were probably purple, but he couldn't see.

It was strange…Kohaku had already hugged her before, when she was sad, but it had felt awkward…because he was as shy as her. Sesshomaru didn't even seem to realize the closeness was supposed to be a source of embarrassment…

Sesshomaru…who she had never seen touch anyone, except when killing a foe…

Or when he was caressing her cheek with his thumb.

She realized she felt good. His embrace was warm and soothing. His scent was masculine and pleasant. How come such a stoic man was able to embrace someone this way?… She tried not to think of the tingly sensation in her chest. She always had a soft spot from him…but it had never crossed her mind he would ever let her be so close, even if it was just meant to be a comforting and platonic gesture.

She just realized she had stopped crying.

"Th-thank you, my lord", she whispered. "I…I don't hear the thunder anymore…"

"Violent or not, storms come and go.", he simply whispered.

"You were talking about the bad weather, or my mood swings?"

"Whatever you fancy", he murmured elusively. "You should get some rest, now"

His whisper close to her ear had something mesmerizing about it. She buried her face against his chest. She felt a hand in her back go delicately back up to stroke her hair. It was just…a comforting gesture…nothing else…she was sure of it…But she liked it anyway.

It wasn't very long before she fell asleep.

…End of chapter…


	3. Midnight Killings

A/N: A big thanks to everyone who reviewed :)

I hope you will enjoy this chapter…this one was quite challenging to write!

Chapter 3: Midnight Killings

She felt the sunlight going through her eyelids and heard birds sing profusely. She opened her eyes. A dreamless night…it had been so rare since the…incidents…She felt rested.

She was surprised when she noticed she wasn't in the cave anymore, but lying under an oak tree with something soft and warm under her. She sat on the grass and stretched lazily. She glanced at what she had been sleeping on…a huge smile spread across her face.

Sesshomaru's pelt!

She took it in her arms and instinctively brought the white fur to her face…her lord's sent was there…as always…

She smiled with nostalgia, when she remembered how many times she had fallen asleep on this pelt when she was little. Of course, she wouldn't require it all the time, but sometimes, when she was sad, or sick or cold, he would let her nuzzle up against it.

She was slightly moved. If he left this with her, that probably meant he remembered how much she enjoyed taking a nap on it, or cuddle it or use it as a blanket. She blushed. She should bring it back to him!

She stood up and tried to recognize her surroundings. It was not very long before she spotted the small entrance of the cave where they hid the day before. The entrance was at the bottom of a small hill, covered with rocks and clumps of long grass. She saw her lord at the top of the hill. He seemed to be staring at the misty clouds partly covering the morning sky. Rin took a moment to stare at him…how majestic he looked on top of this hill, with his silver hair and white clothes being graciously blown by the wind.

It was hard to believe it was the same person who had let her fall asleep in his arms the day before. So regal at first sight, aloof and mysterious…and yet he had always been kind, patient and protective with her. Most people saw a dangerous creature, a cold-blooded killer, but she could only see his good heart. She didn't understand why everyone was so afraid of him. He was never reckless and blood thirsty like other demons…To her, he was only dangerous to beings who deserved it. There was nothing evil about Sesshomaru…

But that was her child perception that was making her feel that way… From what she heard about him in the village, she assumed Sesshomaru refrained from showing his cruel self in front of her and strangely, it was moving her again…It was an evident proof he cared for her, he wanted her to think highly of him.

She smiled and walked in his direction. She was glad she was able to remember so quickly why she loved him so much when she was little…why she was broken when he left her in a human village…

…Why she had been waiting for him to bring her back in his demon world, before she realized this might not be the best option for her.

She thought of what Kaede taught her, and about the warnings of a certain monk before she left her lord…Both were talking about differences between demons and humans and the fact that their respective universes are irreconcilable.

She knew their intentions were good, and with years, she started to understand what they meant, but for now…with her lord's pelt over her shoulders and this wonderful sight of him staring at the sky, she wanted to believe he was more than a child memory.

The youkai lord glanced at her as she approached the hill. He considered giving her a hand, but after seeing the young woman ditch her zōris with casualness and run naked feet on the grassy hill, he concluded she didn't need his help. She showed him her brightest smile.

"Good morning my lord! How are you today?", she asked happily.

"I should be the one asking you this question", he merely answered, hiding his silent satisfaction at the sight of her trademark smile.

"Oh! Well I'm good…my foot is alright and I slept so well!", she answered happily. "After the crazy thunderstorm, lightning balls, the run and all, I never thought I would…" She stopped her bubbly monologue after she looked at what her lord was staring at.

"Oh my! Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes", simply replied the lord. "Impressive, isn't?", he asked stoicly.

"Impressive? I don't know…Scary? Yes! Was this really where we were?"

"I believe so"

Rin stared at the trees who were ravaged by the storm. Many lightning bolts had fallen in a small perimeter…the exact spot where they hid the day before!

"Trees are dangerous during a storm", commented Rin.

"High trees are", specified the youkai lord.

"Maybe I am!", Rin exclaimed. "Lightning bolts falling next to me twice in less than a year… I will start to believe I attract bad luck!"

"Don't be silly. There is no such thing as luck", he retorted.

"Maybe you're right…I suppose we were just at the wrong place", mused the young woman out loud.

"If you are ready, we should get going", suggested the youkai lord. "We still have a long way to go"

"Yes! Of course! Let's go before it rains again!"

…

Rin started to believe everything she said was bad omen.

Her insinuations about trees being dangerous were followed by some insane thunder bolts the day before. And now, he innocent joke about possible rain had become reality.

At least, she had brought an umbrella with her, but it wasn't big enough to protect them both. The youkai lord didn't seem to mind a walk under the rain at first, but even though he was not showing it, Rin had the impression Sesshomaru wasn't very thrilled by the weather, his traits were slightly sterner than usual…Rin didn't even think that was possible before that unfortunate day…

Rin found the journey difficult too. The lower part of her yukata wasn't protected from the rain, and she could feel her zōris stick to the muddy path.

If it wouldn't have been so chilly, she would have discarded those nuisances long ago!

And she was bored. Sesshomaru was even less talkative than usual. He answered to her questions with monosyllables most of the time. At some point, she was so bored she began to sing about the rain and a long lost forest, fairies and elves, but the lord didn't seem to mind.

She thought about her friends…Kagome, Inu-Yasha, Miroku, Shippo, Sango…She knew Kohaku's older sister must be going through a hard time right now, she didn't have the luxury of a distraction like Rin did. She hoped they would be okay and took mental note to write to them as soon as she arrives to the Western Lands.

After that, she thought of Ah Un and Jaken…she was looking forward to see them…and she was looking forward to see where Sesshomaru lived too. She never went to the Western Lands' castle. Sesshomaru hadn't been very talkative when she asked questions about it, but he did tell her his "manor" was relatively recent. Inu Taisho's castle had been destroyed a few decades back and Sesshomaru never bothered building it back, until Naraku's death. It was after the end of the Shikon no tama's dark era that his ambitions for his lands motivated him to make a new one. Rin tried to picture it…Probably a huge and elegant castle, with a lot of trees around it, but very few servants, because the lord seemed to value loneliness…yet she wasn't able to imagine the rest. Was there a throne room? A study? Were there other people living there, aside from Sesshomaru and Jaken? Sesshomaru's mother maybe? Maybe a wife, children?

Rin wanted to shake off that thought. That was silly. If Sesshomaru had a wife, she would have known already.

She did have a doubt…Sesshomaru was mysterious about his life. It wouldn't be impossible he got married long ago. An arranged marriage maybe? Maybe it was the reason why he seemed to enjoy a nomadic lifestyle… There was some woman he didn't want to see? She glanced at Sesshomaru. He was wet from head to toe, his usually shiny hair sticking to the side of his face, his bangs falling all around his eyes, his white clothes clinging to his skin…Rin still thought he looked weary of the downpour, but she wasn't going to tell him that. He probably wouldn't mind a little distraction, though.

"Say, lord Sesshomaru…", Rin started. A glance of the lord told her she had his attention. "Is there…a lady of the Western Lands?", she asked innocently.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Well…yes."

Rin's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe it! "Wh-what?! You have a wife?"

She swore she saw slight amusement in his eyes before he answered. "What if I have?"

"But you never told me! Never told anyone! How is that possible, it doesn't make any sense!"

"You are right Rin, it doesn't make any sense"

She seemed puzzled for a moment. "Then…"

"I have no wife. The lady of the Western Lands is my mother for now", explained the inuyoukai.

"Oh…I see…" Rin seemed suddenly calmer. She smiled mischievously. "I suppose you enjoyed this little teasing, my lord?"

"Hmph… you did overreact", he said.

And then Rin swore she saw the ghost of a smile, but she wasn't certain.

The youkai lord then stopped at a crossroad and stared at an old sign, pointing towards a path leading to a thicker part of the forest. Rin read it herself.

"Otaki, is that a village?", asked Rin.

"Yes. I believe we should stop there for the night"

"Really? Aren't you concerned the villagers will react negatively to you presence?", asked Rin carefully.

"I would be surprised", simply answered her companion.

Rin quickly understood why.

The village was deserted…It was a lonely place. Most of the huts were half destroyed and a graveyard at the far end of the village seemed pretty full. There were obviously no living souls in the village, except for them.

"Such a desolate place", commented the young woman. "Do you know what happened?"

"I believe this place was abandoned a decade ago. I suppose Naraku's minions bothered them at the time", supposed Sesshomaru.

There was something gloomy about this place. Rin wasn't sure at all the liked this ghost town.

"Should we really stay here for the night? We still have a few hours before dusk…"

"We either stay here or rest outside. There will be no other roof until we reach my lands. Humans tend to stay far from demon territory"

"That's a shame…Well then, I suppose a roof is a roof"

It wasn't very long before they found a decent shelter. It was an abandoned inn, with a solid roof, and not as dusty as other places in the village. There was even a rudimentary fireplace and some dry wood. It looked like other travellers had used this place as a shelter not too long ago.

Rin stared at a window and looked at the rain fall for a brief moment. It was late afternoon, but it already seemed darker. Pouring rain...there was no end to it!

"I guess it was the right choice to stop here for the night. It is already getting darker", said Rin, but she had no answer. "Lord Sesshomaru?" , she said while looking back inside.

She glanced back at Sesshomaru just in time to see him remove nonchalantly his wet garb –leaving him shirtless– and wring the water from his clothe. Rin felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she opened her bag and retrieved a small towel, that she had borrowed from Kagome.

"There…my lord…take it", she said shyly.

He stared back at her. "You might need it"

"Not as much as you do."

He stared at the fabric for a moment and decided to take it.

" My thanks"

"I will have a look around now, if you don't mind", she said with a smile, staring at the floor.

"Do as you please", he said, as he wiped one of his shoulder and an arm.

Rin excused herself and left the room. She let out a sigh of relief when she left. She had already seen half naked men before, most often than not during summer, but seeing her lord that way was something else! She blushed again when she remembered his warrior sculpted shoulders and torso…a mix of leanness and muscles, he was very pleasing to the eyes! Under his wide clothes, there was no way to know how he was…Kohaku looked like a shrimp next to him.

Rin shook her head and tried to think of something else. She felt sad and guilty to think about her dead friend that way. Appearances were such a futile matter, compared to what happened …what she was trying so hard to forget. She dropped her things in the cosiest room she could find. There was a futon still in a good state, and a wide window. She closed the sliding door and changed her clothes.

She suddenly understood Sesshomaru's urge to get rid of his wet clothes. She felt much better in a dry yukata.

She suddenly wondered if he was going to wring his pants.

"Oh no… not again you wicked girl!" , she exclaimed with exasperation.

She decided it was best not to go back right away, thinking the youkai lord might enjoy a bit of solitude and privacy. She lied on the futon and looked tiredly outside. Heavy rain…Again…Mother Nature sure was capricious these days. Maybe it was Kaede who made the rain fall on them…maybe she was against the idea of her little Rin going on an adventure with the lord of the Western Lands again…

Rin's eyelids were heavy. The sound of the rain was making her sleepy. After a while, she fell asleep.

…

She was back at the village, staring at a tree.

"Look Rin, nashis!", exclaimed a masculine voice.

Rin stared at Kohaku and smiled. "You love those, don't you?"

"Everyone does!", he said as he took one from the pear tree. "Do you want one?"

"Maybe later", she said with a smile. She climbed on a branch and looked at him eat the fruit.

"Are you sure you don't want one?", he asked innocently.

"No thanks. You know these are not my favourite"

"Of course, I should have remembered! I bet you are waiting after Inu-Yasha and Kagome"

"Yes!", she said while clapping her hands. "They'll bring melons, finally!"

He smiled. " So what are you gonna do today?"

"Oh…not much, except eat melons like there is no tomorrow ", she said with a wide smile. "We have a good supply of herbs. I don't think Kaede will need me today"

"That's good. Maybe after Inu-Yasha and Kagome are back, Sango will relieve me of my duty for the day. We could go to the waterfalls I talked to you about", he suggested.

Rin noticed his blush. Something was up.

"You're talking about the waterfalls again. What about them? You are in such a hurry to show them to me", she said with a smile.

A shy laugh escaped from his lips as he grew even redder. "Well…you know…I wanted to show this special place to a special person"

Now it was Rin's turn to blush. She had heard Sango and Kagome gossips two days earlier, about Kohaku's intention to propose to her. Kohaku and Sango had consulted Kaede about the whole idea, because Rin had no other relatives Kohaku could ask the permission to.

Rin had briefly wondered why Sesshomaru's name had not come up, but it's true he could hardly be considered a relative or anything of the sort. He did visit her from time to time, but what was he to her…really?

She did understand that Kohaku might not want to wait another six months to request permission to someone whom she barely saw anymore…Still…she owned him her life, it seemed like some sort of courtesy to talk to him first.

She decided to stop thinking about things she wasn't supposed to know. It wasn't like Sesshomaru would oppose anyway. He would probably agree to attend, give her some extravagant wedding gift and after that…she would probably never see him again.

She felt her stomach twist when that thought crossed her mind. She felt like losing Sesshomaru would be like losing a part of herself. Inside of her, the little girl who was very bonded to the youkai lord was screaming in agony. But she quickly forgot that thought when she saw Kohaku's eyes grow wide and drop the remnant of his fruit.

"What is it Kohaku?", she asked with a frown.

He unsheathed his weapon. "Rin! Look out!"

She glanced in the same direction as him and saw a pair of acid green eyes.

And she heard a high pitched scream.

Rin woke up with a start. Was it her own scream she heard? Or something else?

It was pitch black all around her. She didn't know how long she slept, but she felt like it was the middle of the night. She suddenly heard another high pitched scream coming from outside. She got out of the futon, grabbed her dagger and glanced at the window. She saw the silhouette of a swordsman slice a lizard-looking demon. A glimpse of silver confirmed her the killer was Sesshomaru. She felt a wave of panic going through her. They were under attack!

She glanced again and saw other demons coming. The inuyoukai seemed to kill them with ease, but still…she was worried.

She suddenly heard light and quick footsteps inside…obviously not Sesshomaru's. She refrained a gasp and tiptoed and laid her back against the wall, close to the door. Those demons looked weak and she had already killed similar beasts in the past, but never like this…Kohaku and Sango would never be too far. Now, She was all by herself..

She heard a low growl and sniff sounds. She stopped breathing but mentally screamed when she realized the demon had probably smelled her. She was trapped.

She held her dagger tight. She saw the creature slowly slide the door open. She saw a blade and a scaled nose get inside.

She raised her own weapon and struck the beast. The creature apparently anticipated her move and also tried to slice her. Both blades collided. The beast shot a sly look at the woman. Rin knew she wasn't going to win a strength battle with this beast, who was about the same height as her. She quickly stepped back, jumped to the left side of the creature and sliced its arm. The lizard screamed in agony and glared at her. He tried to slice her multiple times, at a fiery speed with which Rin could barely keep up.

She suddenly saw a flash of silver and then a flash of red. When she opened her eyes, she saw the remnants of her opponent in multiple pieces on the floor, and a pair of amber eyes glow in the dark.

"Are you alright, Rin?", asked Sesshomaru.

"Yes", she whispered.

He was still shirtless and covered with blood of the attackers. It seemed he had killed many foes with his claws. They were the bloodiest part of his body. Under the moonlight, Rin considered he was a scary sight.

She heard footsteps again, and saw the inuyoukai stare back at the door. He slowly got out of the room. Rin noticed with fascination how silent he was. She decided to follow him. She didn't want to be alone again.

Two creatures were standing in the main entrance, apparently unaware Sesshomaru and Rin were only a couple of steps away. The youkai moved forward, slowly, like a predator who enjoyed the moment.

Both lizards saw Sesshomaru at the same time. Acknowledging his strength wasn't comparable to theirs, they decided to retreat . Both dropped their blades and ran.

Rin felt relief wash over her, but only for a brief moment. Apparently, Sesshomaru had no intention of letting them escape. He ran after them and in a matter of seconds brutally slaughtered them both with Bakusaiga. She saw her master stare at his dead preys with cold satisfaction. Rin's eyes went wide.

After all these years, it was the first time she witnessed her lord kill for entertainment rather than duty.

The cruelness the villagers were talking about wasn't mere speculation. This thought deeply unsettled her. All her children fantasies seemed hollow and corrupted, now.

"Rin?"

The woman stared absently at her master. "Yes?"

"You don't have to be scared, now. They're all gone", confirmed Sesshomaru, while cleaning his blade.

She knew that. She gulped and tried to keep her cool. Apparently, her features betrayed her. She didn't know what to say.

"You can go back to rest if you want. Dawn won't come before a couple of hours", mentioned the youkai lord.

"Do I have to?", she asked with a hesitant voice. "The rain stopped, right? We could leave right away."

"We could, but I assure you there are no other enemies around", insisted Sesshomaru, while raising an eyebrow.

Damn him, he knew something was wrong with her! Rin stared at the floor.

"I'm not sleepy anymore. And the place is full of dead demons now. I'd rather leave", she replied. At least that part was true.

Sesshomaru's features softened. "I see…You should get prepared then"

And with that, Rin curtly bowed and left the room. Sesshomaru watched her leave silently, she could feel his eyes on her back. She mentally cursed herself. It wasn't like her to be so formal.

…

For once, the weather wasn't a disaster. The rain clouds seemed to be gone for good. The moonlight was illuminating their path. The sight was pleasant, but Rin wasn't able to enjoy it fully.

She felt Sesshomaru's eyes on her again. She knew he knew something was wrong. Even if there wasn't a single word going out from his mouth, she knew he was curious…his knowing glance seemingly telling her there is no place for her to hide, and that she will have to spill the beans eventually.

She didn't know what she could tell him…'Hey Sesshomaru, I didn't know all the bad-talk about you being a lunatic and cruel demon might be true?' Ridiculous! It seemed absurd to talk to him about her feelings.

She always knew he was a powerful demon, and that he had killed beyond counting. She didn't understand why the sight of him killing two demons was disturbing her so much. It was only logical to kill them. They could have brought back reinforcements or they could have told other demons a delicious looking maiden was walking on the path towards the Western Lands…who knows…and their group did try to attack them. It wasn't like they were mere passer-by…

In truth, she realized what she didn't like was the glimpse of satisfaction she saw through his eyes. It was the only person she was close to who ever displayed satisfaction at the sight of dead preys. Kagome, Sango, Miroku or Shippo never enjoyed killing a foe. Inu-Yasha did enjoy a good fight, but she felt like it was the challenge of the battle he enjoyed…not the killing part…If Sesshomaru displayed satisfaction in front a defeated foe, does that mean he is exactly how the villagers described him? A heartless demon who kills for pleasure? Is this why he was leaving for long periods of time, back when she was travelling with him, to soothe his needs of massacres?

"You seem weary, Rin", said Sesshomaru, who seemed suddenly eager to break the silence. So unlike him, thought Rin…but at the same time, it wasn't like her to try to hide him things.

"I-I'm okay, my lord", she mumbled.

"Would you like me to carry your things for a while?", he asked.

Rin suppressed a smile. She recognized his subtle strategy, which usually consisted of asking a random question about her condition, but his true purpose was always to know what was troubling her. Considering she was talkative, and that talking about one problem usually led to another …this little strategy was often successful. Rin's smile broke through. She knew she was an easy nut to crack, and the lord seemed to remember… He was far too perceptive for someone so openly stoic. She just hoped he would fail this time.

"That would be nice", she finally answered. She gave him her bag with a shy smile, while looking at his armor, but a quick glimpse at his amber eyes told her he still had what she has deciphered as his knowing look.

A long silence. A sideways glance of the lord again…Rin didn't know if she could last long. She was afraid of the result.

"The way you sliced this demon's arm was impressive, I must say", commented Sesshomaru. "I didn't know you could do more than defensive blows"

"I certainly didn't _enjoy_ it, my lord. The filthy creature bled all over the nice futon I had just found", replied Rin.

She mentally cursed herself…for using the word "enjoy", and for the tone she used while pronouncing that word. If he didn't found out what was wrong with her yet, he would find soon enough.

"I didn't know you despise the sight of blood. Then I suppose you didn't enjoy seeing me slice this demon into pieces", he said while raising an eyebrow.

Rin mentally screamed. Why does he even bother with all the questions, when he was so sagacious! He probably knew everything already!

She decided not to answer.

"I thought you were used to this, considering your village got frequently attacked by demons. And you befriended multiple demon slayers, if I remember correctly", continued the demon lord.

Why was he so antisocial when she was bored…and all the opposite when she wanted to stay quiet?! She felt like she was going to say something she was going to regret.

"Why are you suddenly so talkative and curious my lord? Is it all those killings that put you in a good mood?"

She saw him frown. Rin put a hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that", she mumbled. "It was stupid. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"You shouldn't apologize for sharing your thoughts Rin", he said stoically. "Is this what is bothering you? The thought I enjoyed killing those demons?"

Rin's throat went dry…the fact that she was about to confront Sesshomaru with human judgemental thoughts was scaring her more than lightning bolts.

"Well…you didn't seem to mind the blood, or the killings…", she started. "I'm sorry my lord. I'm not sure it is a good idea for me to speak so openly"

"Why?"

"You won't like what I will say"

"I insist. Speak the truth", he retorted. Rin gulped. She didn't know how to say it.

"It…it was the first time I saw you kill from so close…Your way of killing them was very different from everyone else's at the village…"

"Were you frightened?", asked the youkai lord suddenly.

"What?! N-no!", replied Rin. "Well…maybe a little…", she admitted.

She didn't know what else to say. And Sesshomaru's sudden silence was making it worse.

The silence was truly killing her…

"Rin…I am the Lord of the Western Lands. I am a demon. I kill frequently to protect my lands, myself and what is dear to me. That includes you", he said.

Rin gulped, now she was walking on eggshells.

"Well…I know that but… I heard…things in my village, about you being cruel, killing for no reason and enjoying it. Of course, I knew all of this was false"

"It is false. I always kill for a reason", he replied coldly.

"I know it was logical to kill those two demons earlier…they probably wanted to eat me or something, but…" She stopped.

"Go on", urged Sesshomaru.

"The villagers…they said you kill humans as a hobby", she blurted out. "Is that true?"

"Of course not", he retorted. Rin thought he looked offended, but she had to know the truth…

"They said you did quite a massacre at a nearby village, a few years back…"

Sesshomaru was quiet for a while. Rin looked at him. He seemed thoughtful.

"I do not kill recklessly anymore. I only kill humans who are a threat and who cannot be reasoned by defeat. I also occasionally kill those who are a general threats…Killers, bandits…I also killed rappers, once or twice. When I see humans and demons who behave like beasts, I treat them as such", he explained.

"…I see…", Rin whispered. The "anymore" from his reply did sound like an admission, but she didn't want to insist. He never judged her human ways, was it really her place to question his demon nature?

"…But I did kill uselessly in the past", he admitted. "It was before I met you"

Rin felt her stomach twist. She was hurt by the fact he already killed her own kind recklessly… just like the snake demon who had killed Kohaku or the other one who had shot an arrow at Kaede…but she was also touched by the fact she might be the reason he changed his…killing habits.

"Why did you stop?", she asked.

"You made me realize humans are living beings like others…and some of them may deserve to be protected"

"What have I done to make you think that way?"

"You didn't despise me at first sight. It was only fair to give you the same treatment"

Rin felt a pang in her chest and a wave of guilt. Nothing is so simple…and she realized everything he did was for reasons that transcended simple cruelty.

She realized hatred between humans and demons transcended all…Nevertheless, her life had been a waste because of _human_ bandits before she met Sesshomaru…Who was she to judge him? She had despised her own kind for so long…and she had learned to respect humans again, only because he –a demon– left her in a human village, so she could reconcile with her kind…

And now she dared judging him.

She felt like a complete idiot.

"I am sorry I judged you, my lord. Of all the person on these lands, I should have been the first to understand you. I feel so stupid…", she said with teary eyes.

"Don't be. Distrust towards demons is what will keep you alive", he simply said.

"No! I don't want to be like this! I can distrust the average demon, but I shouldn't distrust you. I owe you everything!"

"That doesn't change the fact I am a pure-blooded demon", retorted Sesshomaru.

"I don't care! Kaede and the others might not like you very much, but you are important to me. What you do shouldn't matter, even if you kill for a living, even if you like it. I don't care anymore", Rin blurted out. "I…I don't want to lose you, like I lost Kaede, Kohaku…my mother, father and brother. I might not understand who you truly are, but I want this to change. I want to know you, to understand everything you are…before it's too late…"

"There is no urgency. I am not going anywhere, Rin", he replied calmly.

"I know…but if it keeps on like this. I'm afraid we'll become strangers. I don't want that", she said sincerely. "You left me with a choice long ago, but I'm not a child anymore. And I realize today I don't know you as much as I'd like. I want to know you for real, before making a choice that will have an impact on my entire life".

Sesshomaru was shaken by those words. It's true he had been a guardian and protector towards Rin, but he never shared much about him to her. She was…just a child…

Nonsense, he doesn't share anything with anyone: demon, human, children, adult alike. Could it be different with is ward? The bubbly child she was had become a clever woman, she had proved that today. She wasn't only some young woman singing about fairytales with her pretty voice…She was…something else. Her soul was much older than he had thought at first.

After that reflection, he realized he had been staring at her all along, with an expression which seemed to trouble her. He shouldn't have let his guard down. He felt like he should say something to her.

"You truly are an adult, Rin", he said.

She blushed lightly. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"You said you judged me wrong. I did too. You are much more pensive than I ever expected you to be"

Rin's blush went a shade deeper. She wasn't sure if she should take that for a compliment or an insult. Did he think she was some naïve idiot?

"W-well…thanks my lord. I'm glad you think I am not just some…young and naïve girl"

"Age has nothing to do with it. Many demons never grow up", he insisted. "You should take my observation as a compliment, Rin"

There again, he read her mind. Rin simply smiled. A huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She was afraid her judgemental thoughts would have been answered with a look of disdain or a huff, or with him suggesting her to go back to her village of mortals. She was glad she was wrong.

"…Your thoughts about our relationship went much deeper than my own. I am glad you shared them", commented the youkai lord. "I never realized you were troubled by the growing distance between us".

Again…he was starting a new conversation. He was indeed full of surprises, Rin realized.

"I was sad because of you didn't come so often…but I thought all of this was normal and I tried to move on with my life… and be a normal person…but now…I realize I would like to get rid of the "normalcy" standard for a while. And be the wild human girl who travel with the demon lord all over again" , she said with a smile.

Sesshomaru stayed silent…until Rin stopped expecting an answer…then finally…

"I feel compelled to make a deal with you Rin"

He stopped walking. She glanced at him with curiosity.

"If you get rid of this "normalcy standard" of yours for a while. I should do the same"

"Hmmm? What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"I usually do not share much about my own person with anyone, because I believe socialisation to be generally futile", he started.

Rin couldn't help but smile at that.

"But I am aware there is no bonding possible without concessions of both parties"

Now he was talking like a tactician or a diplomat, Rin tried to hide her amusement.

"I will try to be more open than my usual self around you. Consider yourself privileged."

And her smile went wide. She had never seemed so happy since their departure.

"It's a deal, then?", she asked while showing him her hand.

He looked at it with mild curiosity. "What is this? Some human tradition?"

"Well, hum, yes! A way of making an arrangement. Shaking hands means we've arrived to an understanding"

"Hmph. That's entertaining. Like a simple movement of hands is enough to create a bond of trust?", he asked.

She looked disappointed at that. "Yeah…that's a way of seeing things. But to trustworthy people it means something"

She saw mild amusement in his eyes. "Well, then, if it is important to you, I will do it"

And with that they shook hands, and Rin felt like a silly little girl when she felt his warm hand on hers.

He might have a stoic demeanour, but his hand wasn't cold at all.

No…there was nothing cold about Lord Sesshomaru.

…End of chapter…

Meh…I felt like Sesshomaru's behaviour was Dexterish at some point in this chapter…oh well!

Next chapter, they will finally arrive to the Westerns Lands, stay tuned ;)

And review! Please?


	4. The Chase

A/N: I feel like there are so many clichés in this chapter…Whatever, they are fun to write XD

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourited this story! I hope you will enjoy this very looong chapter!

Chapter 4 : The Chase

_The flower fields extended endlessly at the horizon. Rin admired the view. _

"_Rin…", called Kohaku._

_She didn't answer, and got rid of her zoris. _

"_Don't do this, Rin…"_

"_Why?"_

"_You're not a little girl anymore. Sango asked me to fetch you…you're supposed to train, don't you remember?"_

"…_It can wait"_

"_Come on Rin"_

_She stared mischievously at her friend. "I'll come…if you can catch me!"_

_Then she ran like a wild child in the flower field. Such spectacles only lasted a couple of weeks each springs. There was no way she wouldn't enjoy it to the fullest this time. _

"_W-wait!", called Kohaku. _

_Rin stared back at him and pulled out her tongue._

"_You stubborn girl, come back here!" He ran after her…but she knew it would be a while before he catches up. For some reason she was much quicker when she was barefoot. This was much funnier than boring traiiiining…_

Rin woke up with a start. She had dozed off again…

She didn't sleep so well these days…She didn't have a good night of sleep since the time she slept in Sesshomaru's arms, back in the cave.

Rin sighed. Day after day, she saw different bittersweet memories during her sleep. She couldn't bear it anymore. She didn't dare close her eyes during the night…but her tiredness (and her dreams) would catch up with her during the day. More often than not, she saw Kohaku, or Kaede…or even her family sometimes…as if the loss of two persons very important to her had awoken old wounds. She supposed the deaths of her caretaker and possible husband to be had shaken her more than she was ready to admit…but she couldn't show it now!

They had arrived at Sesshomaru's mansion four days ago. Surprisingly, the exterior wasn't as extravagant as Rin had pictured it, but it was hidden behind thick foliage as Rin had thought. The inside though…was exquisite. Simple and royal all at once, decorated with pale oak, burgundy and white curtains. Sesshomaru's practical, yet sophisticated taste had something to do with this…she knew it. She really liked this place. She especially liked the fact her room had two exterior doors leading to a private part of the courtyard, full of white lilacs in bloom encircling a small pond…the flowers' scent was soothing, most often than not, she kept her doors open.

Yet she was incredibly bored. As soon as they had arrived, Sesshomaru got caught up with some urgent issue about his lands' borders he needed to take care of. He was very busy, so busy Rin didn't see him at all since their arrival. She didn't try to visit, she had heard many servants talk about those frontier problems, so she didn't dare disturb him. Rin knew her lord's chambers weren't very far from hers…a couple of doors away, yet she didn't see him come in or out of any room from the corridor yet…and she certainly would have heard or seen him, considering she rarely went far from her room until now.

The truth was…she attracted far too much attention for her own good each time she got out. Most of the servants of the castle were looking at her like she was a curious creature…like a fairy or an unicorn, and she wasn't sure she liked it…

She couldn't pass the time disturbing Jaken, because he seemed as busy as Sesshomaru. She did go see Ah Un in the backyard, but that obviously didn't occupy her for the day. Her lord had also told her she shouldn't leave the castle without him…It wasn't like she felt like going out anyway, considering the rain was plaguing most of her days. The weather was truly a mess these days! She had heard there were very nice flower fields not too far away, and she couldn't even see them!

She did succeed finding ink and paper though…so she wrote very long and personalized letters for her friends back at the village. She wanted to let them know she was alright…She remembered how Sango was worried the day she had left. Kagome though…had a reassuring smile. For some reason, she was the only one among her friends who seemed to trust Sesshomaru. Maybe the fact that she was married with his hanyou half brother had something to do with it…

It had been more than a day since she was done writing her letters, and she was ready to send them, but apparently, the courier birds of the castle were in an inner court, accessible only through the meeting room, which was currently occupied by her lord on a permanent basis, and his servants seemed to insist no one was allowed inside. Rin thought this was silly, Sesshomaru probably wouldn't care if she simply got in and out (not like he ever got angry at her anyway), but she didn't dare confront her lord's guards. She was only a lone human in a demon castle…like a lamb surrounded by a pack of wolves. It was probably a ridiculous thought, considering her lord would probably kill whoever dared lay a finger on her…but sill…

Rin stood up with a huff. She had enough. She was certainly not going to wait any longer to send her letters, and she didn't feel like waiting another four days without seeing her lord. Who knows, he might even appreciate her visit! Rin looked at herself in the mirror for a moment, and decided to change…If she was going to disturb him, she would at least do it with style. She chose a white kimono with a sky blue obi and flower patterns on her long sleeves…comfortable yet elegant. She unwillingly put on okobos…she truly hated those…but it was a necessary accessory to her attire. She tied a silk ribbon on a lock of hair at the side of her head…reminiscent of her trademark childhood hairstyle. And why not…she applied light powder on her face to conceal her "peasant tan", so she could blend in…or at least try. With a satisfied smile, she left her room and walked as elegantly as she could, until she reached the huge oak door, leading to the famous meeting room. This time, no one was standing in front of the door, which brought Rin's hopes up. However, before she could open it…

"You, over there! Stop!"

Rin refrained from sighing and turned back to see an angry looking guard.

"You can't get in. The lord is busy at the moment and cannot receive visitors", said the guard. "But I told you that already", he added with a smug smile.

"I understand Lord Sesshomaru is occupied, but he certainly wouldn't mind if I took only a short moment of his time", replied Rin with her sweetest smile.

"No one can get in. Those are the instructions I follow", he retorted coldly.

Rin's smile faltered. And then, she remembered an old trick of her childhood, which always got her out of trouble at an incredible speed…Would she dare?

…Oh yes she would…

"LoooOOOooord Sesshomaruuuuu! Are you there?", she asked with a loud and high pitched voice.

And then Rin counted…1…2…3…

"What are you doing you inconsiderate child!", yelled the guard. "Leave this place at once! Or…"

"Or what?", asked a dangerously low voice. Sesshomaru stared at the guard. He had half opened the door.

"Lord Sesshomaru!", beamed Rin.

Just like old times, he had come to her rescue!

"Master", bowed the guard. "I'm sorry… I tried to tell her to leave but…"

"So you prevented my ward from getting in?", asked Sesshomaru blankly.

"I-I followed the orders", defended the guard.

"Then you must not have listened to what I said", retorted Sesshomaru, while narrowing his eyes.

The guard gulped. He dared not ask what he hadn't heard. "I apologize my lord. This won't happen again"

"I suggest you to be more careful next time, or you may not have the opportunity to beg for forgiveness again", the demon lord retorted.

Now it was Rin's turn to gulp. He definitely seemed in a bad mood today. He looked haggard, somehow. She hoped he wouldn't mind her visit.

"Come", he said without looking at her.

Rin nodded and followed him inside the room. She heard many people talk, but she didn't see them yet. She gasped when she looked at the marvelous room, full of books of all sorts and scrolls, very high walls and high but narrow doors leading to the courtyard. However, she didn't have the time to comment before a feminine voice caught her off guard.

"Sesshomaru. Is she your human ward?"

Rin glanced behind her and recognized the figure instantly. Citrine colored eyes, immaculate silky white hair, a walk so gracious and a kimono so long it was as if she was floating on the marble floor. She had her usual polite smile, but a cold and expressionless stare.

"Yes…", replied coldly Sesshomaru. He glanced at the young woman. "I suppose your remember my mother, Rin?", he inquired.

"Of course, the Lady Mother and Lady of the West", she whispered. "It is an honor", she said with a sincere smile.

Sesshomaru's mother's smile reached her eyes, as she approached the young woman. "Oh my, polite manners…and so beautiful. Sesshomaru, you never told me how…charming your ward has become", she said. She touched Rin's cheeks with curiosity.

"How old are you, young woman?", she asked.

"Soon to be eighteen, my lady", Rin replied shyly.

"Oh…old enough to be married in human standards!"

"I have no husband, my lady", politely answered Rin, silently hoping the lady mother wouldn't stay so close. Again, she felt like some curious creature lost in a demon world.

"It won't be long, now, I bet", she said with an amused smile. "Oh, I would love to dress you up. I bet you would look even more gorgeous in a cream and sunset colored furisode", she said thoughtfully, as she walked around Rin.

"Mother", interrupted Sesshomary icily. "Rin is not a doll. Leave her be."

"What a harsh son you are, I was only trying to be kind…", she said with fake outrage.

"Lord Sesshomaru", called a gruff voice. "We are curious as well!"

Rin then saw who were the other people in the room. Many demons, sitting around a long rectangular table…were all staring at her. She simply smiled, she didn't know what else she could do, being the center of attention.

"I will present you to my council, now", said Sesshomaru.

"Your council?" asked Rin. She blushed. "I'm sorry my lord, I didn't know I was interrupting…"

"You didn't interrupt anything", he replied…Rin swore his tone was jaded. "Those are my vassals who have a seat on the Western Lands' council. On the left side of the table, baron Hatsuno"

"Human maidens are always the prettiest", he replied with a smile. "My pleasure, young lady"

Rin smiled, this was the same man who had called Sesshomaru previously, an imposing and pudgy man with purple eyes. He seemed by far the eldest of the group, considering he was the only one showing signs of oldness.

"Hatsuno is the protector of the Western Coast", explained blankly Sesshomaru. "On his right is Tenmaru, lordling of the Northern Borders…and my cousin"

Rin gasped, cousin indeed! His hair was a shade darker than Sesshomaru's and tied in a ponytail, his eyes a dark blue, and no stripes on his cheekbones. He didn't look as lordly as Sesshomaru, but he was definitely from a similar lineage. He was gorgeous! But his smile was lecherous…He definitely didn't have Sesshomaru's cool manners. He stood up and kissed Rin's hand. Sesshomaru's mother smiled at her son mockingly, as she noticed how tense was his jaw.

"A beautiful woman, your ward…Sesshomaru", he said with a smirk. Then he stared more seriously at Rin. "A pleasure, fair lady", he said as he sat down.

Rin was sure her face was burgundy. "Likewise, master Tenmaru"

"To his right, duchess of the Oriental Border, Lady Tatsumaki"

Rin was glad to see a woman, she had enough of the admiring males!

"Hn, my pleasure, _human_-ward", she said with a fake smile. Rin smiled politely and didn't insist for more formalities. She understood that the piercing red eyes of this woman had something hostile. She looked vaguely like the deceased Kagura of the Wind, but her spiked armor gave her a tough look.

"Oh the other side, regent-protector of the Southern West, Kireru"

Rin smiled, red hair tied in a ponytail, bright green eyes and a friendly smile, this one looked like an older version of Shippo, probably a fox demon. The first one who didn't stare at her in an intimidating way.

"So finally we get to see Sesshomaru's ward! I must admit I was myself very curious, it is nice to meet you!"

Rin decided she liked that one the most.

"And next to him, young Lady Nozomi is the official protector of the Southern West, and recently took duties, she is still learning from Kireru"

Rin smiled at her. Another fox demon. She looked as young as her and had a childish grin plastered upon her face.

"Nice to meet you Rin! I'm happy to see someone else my age in there, I hope we can be friends!"

"I hope too, Nozomi-sama"

"Nozomi-chan, Rin", corrected Sesshomaru. "You are my ward. They all owe you respect and obedience"

"And so we are warned", groaned Tatsumaki.

"Keep your mouth shut, ungrateful vassal!", croaked Jaken. Rin glanced at him on this opposite side of the table. Sesshomaru ignored them all.

"I suppose a break is required. You are dismissed until sunset", stated Sesshomaru.

Rin heard a couple of sighs of relief. Some vassals stood up. Others started making small talk.

"Rin…Come", ordered Sesshomaru as he walked toward the courtyard doors.

The young woman glanced at her lord and nodded. She stared in awe as he opened the two large doors to reveals a wonderful courtyard with cherry blossoms and roses in bloom.

He closed the door behind her. He glanced at her with what Rin deciphered as a glint of curiosity.

"So…"

"So?", inquired Rin.

"Are your quarters to your likings?", he inquired.

Rin giggled. "My lord, how could they not be to my likings? My room is gorgeous! And the garden too!"

"I thought you would say so", he said evasively. He leaned on the balcony's ramp and gazed at the horizon. Rin stayed quiet as she looked at him.

"I apologize for the disturbance my lord. I…"

"I believe I already said you didn't interrupt …", he replied. "The past few hours were a useless hubbub". The last part was said almost in a whisper and Rin wasn't sure it was meant to be heard. "What brings you here?", he asked finally, while stealing a glance at her.

Rin smiled. There was something about his gaze that was different since they had their little "agreement", but she didn't know what it was exactly.

"Oh the reason is pretty silly…I just…wanted to send letters to my friends. I was told there are carrier birds around here", she said shyly.

He frowned. Did she miss them already? Rin sure was bonded to her human companions…

"Follow me", he simply said.

They walked down the stairs and continued until they reached a pond, occupied by herons. Rin stared in awe. They looked wiser than usual birds.

"Those are demon herons. State the destination of your correspondence and they shall obey", explained the lord.

Rin inserted her letters in a ring attached to one of the bird's paw and said the name of her village. The bird nodded and flew away. Rin stared at it with admiration. So many things in this castle seemed unreal…too beautiful to be part of her world.

She looked back and caught her lord staring at her. That strange look again…nor expressive, neither bored. The usual cold and superior look he gave her and Jaken when she was little was gone. Rin frowned. He truly was undecipherable.

"What is it Rin?", he asked.

"Oh…" Rin tried to find an excuse. "Well…I heard many servants talk about frontier problems. Are there…risks of war, my lord?"

He lightly frowned, remembering the source of his torments. "No, nothing of the kind. Mere security issues", he started.

"I suppose it must be serious", she mused, as she walked back to him. They went back in the study.

"No need to say I expect you to keep quiet about the issue if I tell you", he started.

"O-of course my lord!", she said. She was surprised he agreed to elaborate about this to her.

"Two vassals who have been securing the southern borders for centuries are not fulfilling their duties anymore. Both of them refuse to talk about the reasons motivating their carelessness. Some members of my council believe it would be wise to get rid of them, but they were dutiful to me and my father. I believe removing them would cause more trouble than it would solve."

"And you have no idea why they are doing this?", asked Rin.

Sesshomaru opened her the door and let her get inside before following. Rin saw Jaken and Sesshomaru's mother were still inside.

"No one knows. It seems they aren't possessed by any wicked forces. No rational motives can explain their behaviour"

Rin smiled. "What if their reasons aren't rational at all?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "And what are you thinking of?"

"I bet they're fighting over a woman!"

"This is ridiculous Rin! Two honorable demons of the kind would never give in to such trivial reasons", retorted Jaken with indignation.

"Why not?" asked Rin. "Miroku used to say half of the world's wars start with a love story…"

Sesshomaru looked at her thoughtfully.

"The little human may be right, Sesshomaru. Kachikimaru could be angry at his half brother for marrying Kizuisen. They were very good friends after all", insisted Sesshomaru's mother.

Sesshomaru suppressed a sigh. "We've been deliberating four days in a row and no one thought of this…I wonder what is this council's worth…"

"No need to get grumpy, my son. Your council only lacks a capable woman", replied the Lady of the West.

"There is already two women on my council, mother", retorted coldly Sesshomaru.

"I was thinking about a "womanly" woman, Sesshomaru…Nozomi still has the mind of a child and Tatsumaki is a warrior, she thinks like a man. It is of no surprise that your ward has possibly found an interesting lead. She looks mature for a woman her age", commented Sesshomaru's mother. She raised an eyebrow and stared at Rin. "Too bad she is just a human ward and not a capable vassal."

Rin blushed.

"You should cease giving my ward so much attention. You are embarrassing her", retorted Sesshomaru.

"Oh don't be so protective, my son, it was just a compliment. If you can't appreciate her bright mind and use her, I would gladly", she said with a glance at Rin.

"Use…me?", inquired Rin.

"Yes. You like marriages, don't you?", asked Sesshomaru's mother.

"Well, of course my lady"

"Please, call me Sasori. Maybe you would like to help me prepare Tenmaru's wedding celebration?"

"So Master Tenmaru is getting married?", inquired Rin with curiosity.

"Yes my dear, and the ceremony will take place the night of the next full moon. This is soon! It is the reason why I am here. At last…one of the Inu clan has decided to stop his endless procrastination", explained the Lady of West with a slight smile, but Sesshomaru didn't bother react to her previous reproach. "So sad such a handsome man is getting married. The best ones always get taken first, don't you think?", she added with a giggle. This time Sesshomaru glared at her.

"Enough of your gossips, mother", he retorted. "The council's meetings will resume soon. I shall bring Rin back to her chambers"

"One last thing my son…"

Rin stopped paying attention to them and stared at the closest window. Sunset already? She hadn't realized she had spent an hour with her lord already! She saw Jaken pass by with a pile of scrolls so high he couldn't see where he was walking.

"Need a hand, master Jaken?", she asked with a smile. She lightened his pile and followed him.

"Oh, thank you Rin. Much appreciated", he said. "Those meetings are so exhausting they will shorten my life even more!"

"Don't start complaining now, Sesshomaru might hear you", she said with a wink.

"So…", started Jaken. "The lord was concerned about you, but I didn't know he intended to bring you back to his mansion. Have you decided to come back to us for good?" inquired Jaken.

"Oh…well…not really", replied Rin evasively. "I am here for summer only. Sesshomaru said the moment has not come yet."

"What a shame", Jaken replied. It had been a while since their travels, but the toad demon had always been fond of Rin…like his lord. "So…how is this Kohaku-boy we've traveled with?"

Rin froze. She felt her face whiten. She dropped the scrolls on the table. Some vassals were back now. She stared at her trembling hands.

Nobody knew why she was here. Nobody knew of the tragedy that happened back at her village…Only Sesshomaru knew, and it was obvious he didn't tell a soul.

"Rin…what is it? Have you seen a ghost?", asked Jaken with wide eyes.

Rin smiled sadly. "He died"

"Wha…whaaat?"

She saw in her peripheral vision that Sesshomaru, his mother and a couple of vassals stared at her all at once.

"Kohaku…and my caretaker Kaede. Both died after a vicious pack of snake demons attacked our village"

"O-Oh…", blurted out the toad demon. "I-I'm sorry to hear that Rin"

"Jaken" interrupted dryly Sesshomaru. "Hatsuno and Tatsumaki have not arrived yet. Go get them", he ordered.

"Yes my lord! At once!", he said as he bowed, and he fled before his master might want to hit him for bringing up such a topic.

Rin stared at her lord and understood it was time for her to go. She ignored the sorry looks of the other demons in the room and followed him.

They finally got out. She felt a sigh of relief escape her lips. She felt ill, since she heard Kohaku's name.

She noticed Sesshomaru's glance but he didn't say a word. Rin didn't try to converse either, she just wanted to get back to her room and be alone for a while…She suppressed a sigh. She hated this. She wanted to be her cheerful, carefree self, but Kohaku's and Kaede's deaths were creeping over her, like a shadow darkening her day.

Soon enough, they arrived at her dorm.

"Thank you my lord. I am glad I was able to talk to you", she said with a smile. "I think I will rest a little now"

Sesshomaru nodded and opened her door.

"The meetings shouldn't last long tonight. I can come visit you, if you like", he suggested.

Rin smiled. "I would love this, my lord"

He enigmatically glanced at her. "Then I will see you later"

He left.

Rin stared at the closed door and smiled. At least…Sesshomaru was there, and she was going to have a little company.

For a moment she had forgotten about her sorrow.

…

It was late evening when she finally heard a knock at her door. Finally! She stopped brushing her hair and stood up. She had changed her attire again for a silver kimono made of the finest silk. Red heron patterns were embroidered on her sleeves and at the bottom of her dress –the birds from earlier had inspired her-. After putting it on, she noticed it revealed a bit of shoulders, but she didn't mind, the night was warm anyway. She looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction before opening the door. She had never worn such an elegant garb before, but she supposed that if she found it in her wardrobe, it must be because Sesshomaru expected her to wear it.

Unless it was some scheme of his Lady Mother to dress her up…

However, it wasn't Sesshomaru who was at the door.

"Master Jaken", said Rin surprisingly.

She noticed how Jaken's eyes went wide for a moment.

She repressed a silly smile. She knew the poor toad wasn't used to see her so elegantly dressed. She wasn't even used to this herself.

He cleared his throat. "Lord Sesshomaru is ready to see you, Rin. Follow me."

Rin nodded and was surprised he led her to her Lord's private chambers. She didn't expect he would let anybody get in there. She silently got in and tried not to gasp at what she saw.

Immaculate white and silver marble floor, wide windows and silky burgundy curtains. Everything in this room reminded her of her lord. Two wide doors leading to the garden were open, which made the silky fabric of the curtains flow with the wind. Rin could see an endless field of white lilacs. It was truly beautiful: the sight was even prettier from his chambers. She walked slowly towards the open doors, attracted by the scenic view. The moonlight on the white petals gave an ethereal glow to the beautiful flowers. She could even smell the subtle but pleasant perfume of the white lilacs, not as exuberant of their purple counterparts.

Then she saw him.

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment.

He wasn't wearing his usual attire! He was dressed all in black and was staring at the moon…as he did so often. Rin thought his silver hair and pale skin were beautifully contrasting with his more casual attire. His clothes weren't as wide as those he wore during the day, it made his broad shoulders stand out. He finally stared back at her. His amber eyes rested on her a tad longer than they usually did. She smiled sweetly and silently hoped her looks didn't disappoint him.

"You did quite an impression today", he finally said, while looking back at the horizon.

"Oh…really?", she asked timidly. "What did I do?"

He stared back at her blush. Being beautiful was the first thing. Truly he hadn't expected she would ditch her human yukatas so quickly, and he wasn't sure if he was glad she did so soon. She had attracted so much attention he had to control his temper around some of his most unrefined vassals…his damn cousin being by far the worst of all…

It was one thing to acknowledge she was gracious like a swan, another to see a pack of wolves drool around her…

But he couldn't tell her that.

"Many of my vassals were enthusiastic about your idea. This lead will be investigated", he answered.

She giggled. "Oh really? Well, I'm glad if my jest about your vassals being caught up in a love triangle can be of use, my lord"

There was a knock on the door and then, many servants got in and placed a table and dishes of pleasant smelling food...a mix of some unknown vegetables and dark looking meet. Even though that looked foreign to her, Rin heard her stomach growl.

"Are you hungry, Rin?", Sesshomaru asked.

"Oh. Um…"

"I was told you didn't eat tonight", he said, matter-of-factly.

She blushed again, while looking at the many delicious looking plate. She was suddenly soooo hungry. "I hope this isn't all for me?"

"No. I haven't eaten either", he replied.

Rin's eyes grew wide. "So…this is for you?"

"Us both."

"But…I mean…", she stammered.

Really? He was going to eat?!

"You want us to eat together?", she asked with surprise.

"You have a problem with that?" , he asked back, while raising his eyebrow –his trademark inquisitive look.

"N-no! I just…never saw you eat. I'm surprised. That is all…"

He stared back at her with mild curiosity. "There is a first day for everything"

Rin smiled. "I suppose so"

She sat in front of him and looked at a domestic serve him, and her shortly after. She looked at her food.

"Can I really eat it?", she said with fascination.

"Yes. No one here intends to poison you", he said as he used his chopsticks elegantly and took a first bite. Rin looked at him chew his food. He certainly had more manners than his half brother. She stared back at her food and then at him.

"You said you don't eat human food. This one doesn't look very different than what I could eat"

"Demon dishes are made with demonic meat…and other sorts of spices and flavoring, but I suppose you could say it is similar to human food in looks and style", he pondered.

Rin looked at her dish with curious eyes. "All these years I thought…I thought that demon food was much more different than this. Of course, the smell is not the same but…you disdain seemed soooo obvious when I tried to bring you human food. It seemed to me your lifestyle had to be more different than this…I don't know, I thought…"

Rin stopped talking. He looked at her blankly…She was suddenly worried her agitation had made her such a chatterbox he probably wasn't listening at all. She stared at him with doubt.

"Thought what?", he finally asked neutrally.

"Oh…um…I don't know…I think I forgot what I was going to say", Rin said naively…

"You were surprised about the fact demon food and human food look similar"

"Oh…"

So he listened…She felt even more ridiculous thinking he listened to her long monologue of stammering.

"So…what did you think I was eating, Rin?"

Rin's eyes went wide. "I-I don't know!"

"It seems to me you gave a lot of thoughts about this. I'm curious to know what was your theory", he retorted, with a glint of curiosity in his amber eyes.

Rin laughed nervously and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. Oh he had such a talent to ask the worst questions. "Wellll…Since you're a demon, I thought you would like something gruesome or weird or rare… like…

One of Sesshomaru's eyebrow rose higher than usual, but Rin wasn't looking…He dared sip at his drink.

"…Like drinking blood or…eat baby fawns or…eat unicorn meat maybe?", guessed Rin innocently.

In her peripheral vision, she saw him put a hand in front of his mouth. Rin stared back at him. Sesshomaru looked at the table for a moment and then looked back at her, still a hand in front of his face.

Rin frowned…his eyes looked weird…a bit narrower than usual, yet not frowning…

Wait, were these laughing eyes? Was he scoffing at her?

He finally regained his composure, his hand previously concealing his expression now rubbing slightly one of his eyebrow. Rin smiled, Inu-Yasha was doing this sometimes, when he was trying hard not to laugh. Sesshomaru-sama was probably struggling to keep his cold demeanor. She felt proud at the thought he potentially laughed at her silliness.

She was suddenly disappointed she didn't get to see him openly laugh!

"I'm sorry my lord. I didn't think you would…whatever…I just didn't know what to think!", she said with amusement. "I thought that since you never ate in front of us…"

"You never saw me eat, because you and Jaken were both snoring by the time I ever felt hunger", he said blankly. He had gone back to his serious self now.

Rin stopped smiling…he looked annoyed, now. She hoped he wasn't insulted. She stared back at her food.

"Seriously…Can I eat demonic food without being sick?"

"I already told you…"

"I've heard terrible stories about villagers who hate demon flesh…"

"I don't know what they ate but I repeat there is nothing hazardous to you in this food", he replied blankly.

Rin took her chopsticks and had her first bite, without noticing Sesshomaru's intense gaze. He was curious. She frowned and took another bite.

"This is…an unusual taste…but I don't hate it at all." She smiled. "I think I might get used to this!"

His gaze softened. That was good…he wouldn't want his ward to starve.

"My mother expects you to attend to some of the Western Land council's meetings…"

Rin gulped with difficulty the liquid in her cup, but it wasn't the potentially alcoholic beverage that made her choke. "R-really? But…I'm…just a human!"

"Not the usual meetings…only those concerning the upcoming wedding", rectified Sesshomaru. Some vassals had suggested she attends to all of them, but no way he was going to repeat her Tenmaru's suggestion. His intentions must be foul, anyway.

"It would be a pleasure, my lord", she said with a smile. "I am surprised your hold council meetings for a wedding though…I thought it was more of a…war…council…"

"It is. I don't attend to these trivial meetings. Some other vassals will be missing too, but Jaken will be there if you need anything"

"Oh…", whispered Rin. She felt a big disappointed, but she supposed it made sense.

Then she noticed her plate was empty. She frowned. Just when did she eat all her food? Her dirty chopsticks were the proof she ate but…

She was suddenly distracted by the fact Sesshomaru took something from a plate…a green looking ball of something Rin couldn't identify.

"What is this?", she asked.

"Daifuku", he said nonchalantly.

"Is it good?"

"Find out by yourself, Rin", retorted Sesshomaru. But something about his tone was odd…he was hiding something.

She took one suspiciously and smelled it.

"It smells like fruit", she commented.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow again. "…It is not made with chopped infant fawn, I assure you"

Rin laughed out loud, she briefly wondered if it was the beverage in her cup that made her feel and act so silly, she was indeed feeling a bit dizzy… but she didn't care…Sesshomaru didn't seem to mind anyway. On the contrary, he didn't look bored, for once. Now he was messing around with her, that was unusual.

Rin stopped breathing and took a bite. Her eyes became big.

"Ohhh kami this is delicious! This is dessert!", exclaimed Rin. Then she looked surprised. "Wait…you eat desserts?"

Sesshomaru stared at her. "Hmph…Will you be surprised if I tell you I need to breathe as well?"

Rin laughed again. "…Sesshomaru-sama…I'm sorry if I offended you again. I'm just not used to…eating sweets with you!"

Sesshomaru stayed quiet. Of course, the common mistake…his cold demeanor always gave the impression he is some marble statue who doesn't need to sleep, or eat, or…feel anything…He may have been cold for the longer part of his life, but his mundane and sedentary life since Naraku's death had forced him to open his mind to other things than his desire for combats and supreme conquests…Until recently, there wasn't so many battle opportunities after all…

When he left his thoughts, he realized a couple of daifukus had disappeared and his ward was staring at the moon.

"Would you like to go outside?", he acutely suggested.

"Yes!", she said with a bright smile. She ate another daifuku and cheerfully stood up.

If his exterior wouldn't be so naturally stern, he would have smiled back. Her smiles were becoming more credible day after day. Slowly but surely…she was recovering…

But he did frown when he looked at her. She had a tad of sweet green paste next to her mouth. How did this get there?

"What is it my lord?", she asked innocently.

"There is food on your right cheek", he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh!" She blushed furiously and quickly picked a handkerchief on the table. She rubbed vigorously her cheek in hope to get rid of it.

"Is it gone now?", she asked worriedly.

She saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

"What is it?"

He took the handkerchief from her hand. "It's all over your face now. Let me help you."

"Oh no! Ohhh I'm so clumsy!", she complained. Just great…he was all perfection, and she wasn't even able to eat sweets properly.

He frowned.

"What now?", she asked worriedly.

"Your cheek…it's…darker…Have I done something wrong?", he asked

Rin gasped. Oh no!

"N-no…it's just…my powder…I completely forgot about that…"

His frown went deeper. "Why do you wear that?"

Rin was surprised. He seemed almost offended.

"I-I was just trying to…blend in…with everyone else"

"Blend in?" He didn't even seem to understand what that meant.

"Yes…every demons around here have pale faces, but I don't. I thought it would be better if I looked like everyone."

"Hmph…That's not right", he retorted. He folded the handkerchief and gently –very gently– cleaned her face. He was so delicate with her…Rin had the impression he thought she was made of glass.

…And now she was totally embarrassed… he was scrutinizing her face from very close.

"What was wrong with a pale face?", she asked sheepishly.

"Nothing", he answered. "But it's not you". He looked down at the final result. Her complexion was pinker…that was much better.

Rin stared at him shyly. "So I suppose I shouldn't wear any white powder?"

"Absolutely not. I don't see why you should be ashamed of your true colors"

"They're nobles. Human nobles judges villagers…I'd rather not imagine what demon nobles could say about me…"

"Forget about nobles", interrupted Sesshomaru with a frown. "They know nothing about the world. Let them fret about you if it pleases them…but do not let them dictate how you should look or behave."

"So what should I do then? Whatever I want?", she asked.

"Exactly. Just be yourself. Be Rin", he ordered.

Yes…That sounded right. He didn't want her to become like the poor company he had to bear all day long. Her naturalness was one of the things he liked the most about her. He won't let anyone take away from her this very important character trait.

Rin frowned. "What about you Sesshomaru-sama…Do you usually do what you want?", she inquired.

"…Often", he replied. He does what he wants, alright. Rin's company at such hour was an evident proof. If he cared about everyone's opinion like her, he would probably make a fuss over what his mother or his vassals would think of the fact he invited his very marriageable maiden ward in his private chambers close to midnight…

He chased that thought away. He couldn't care less what people thought.

"You have free time, Rin. I would be displeased if I realized you spent all of it trying to please my servants and vassals. "

Rin smiled sadly at that.

She just wished she knew who she was and what she wanted to do…The answers to these simple questions weren't easy to find anymore. Who was she? Rin the mute orphan? Rin the young human peasant? Rin the demon's ward?

She stared at the open doors, leading to the balcony. She walked towards it, removed her okobos and smiled when she felt the warm wood under her feet. Yes… she knew she enjoyed this, at least.

Then, she saw a shadow loom over her. She stared back at the demon lord.

"Do whatever I want, huh?", she mused, a finger on her lips. "Does that mean I can walk around the mansion barefoot?", she asked innocently.

"If it pleases you", he replied. He glanced nonchalantly at the okobos she abandoned on the floor. He supposed they did look like torture instruments. Why were these things so high anyway? She certainly didn't need that. He wasn't even sure who was taller between his mother and Rin…

Then he saw her get out of the balcony and land graciously on the grass.

"You know…These trees are nice. I wish I could just run around them like a little girl", she said with a sweet smile.

"You may get lost", he commented.

She smiled mischievously at him. "My lord…do you really think this Rin would get lost in a flower garden?"

He raised an eyebrow. "These gardens are deep. Anyone could get lost"

Yes…even some of his servants did. The intoxicating smell made it hard to find the right path to get out. It was strategic, as most inu enemies will struggle finding the mansion, but it was tricky as well for anyone who didn't know these gardens well.

However, it wasn't part of Rin's reflection. Another mischievous smile, and she was gone. Sesshomaru frowned.

"Rin?", he called. "I was serious. Come back at once"

He heard some distant laugh, but she didn't seem to hear him. He suppressed a sigh. Just what had he done?

He went after her, and realized she was running quickly. He could barely track her…her scent blending smoothly with the lilacs. After some times he completely lost track of her scent. Just where was she? He started to worry. Not only he couldn't make sure she was entirely safe…but he would look like a complete fool if he lost her in his own gardens. He started to believe these lilacs were a bad idea after all…

He couldn't fly to find her from the sky because the lilacs were so tight she would be hidden under a thick layer of flowers anyway.

He stopped walking and closed his eyes. Maybe his hearing could be of use…

There…He heard louder rustling of leaves to his right. He realized she wasn't far from him…maybe she was even spying on him.

Just who did she think she was? Trying to fool him this way…He pretended he was looking at the horizon, than…behind him. He heard more rustles…he suppressed a smirk.

Rin tried to step back and leave…in hopes he wouldn't hear her, but as soon as she glanced at the path behind her, she felt a hand on her wrist. She gasped and pulled her wrist abruptly out of his grasp. She just had the time to look back and see his surprised eyes before she hid back in the flowery woods.

"Good luck catching me my lord!", she shouted.

"Is it a challenge, then?" he asked.

She refrained from laughing, and hoped he wouldn't kill her when he would catch her for good. She ran as fast as she could.

Sesshomaru smirked. He had a lead now. Her febricity left a distinct scent in the air. He ran after her, but as soon as he was catching up, he saw her stare back, and take a sudden turn. He smirked again. For someone barefoot and with such heavy garbs on her, she was very quick. He remembered she was good at running away from demons when she was young, but he never thought she would have refined her skills so much.

What she didn't seem to realize though…was that he is no ordinary demon. He is much quicker than her… and he likes to chase…oh yes, he isn't just a demon, he is a hunter…he enjoys this too much for his own good…

Her efforts were amusing, though, but there was no way she would win this. Without Rin noticing, he was pursuing her in a way that wouldn't let her go back in the center of the garden…

Rin ran as fast as she could. She looked back behind her, but she couldn't see him. She had the terrible impression he wasn't very far, though…and she was exhausted. She stopped for a short while to catch her breath but it only took a few seconds before she heard quick steps going in her direction. She looked to her right and saw the demon lord charge straight at her. Rin's eyes widened and she ran in the opposite direction…

…Only to get out of the lilac forest and realize she was back at the mansion's main entrance. And then she felt his grip again on her wrist. She gasped and tried to get free without even looking but then she felt an arm slid around her.

"You have nowhere to hide, this time", he said at her ear.

She sighed…her lord was behind her, she felt his firm chest on her back…She was trapped.

She laughed.

"I suppose I lost, then", she said innocently.

"You wouldn't have lasted very long if I had known this was a game in the first place", he retorted.

Rin tried not to shiver at his whisper close to her ear. There was something exhilarating about him making sure she couldn't break free, but she didn't have the time to think about it twice, as she heard footsteps of people approaching.

Sesshomaru let her go instantly and moved away at what she judged was a…safe and unquestionable distance.

Rin blushed at this thought.

Rin then recognized the two fox vassals from earlier, Kireru and Nozomi, both too focused on their conversation to notice them. Than the older one seemed to see them both.

"Sesshomaru-sama and lady Rin…", he bowed and politely smiled. "A nice night for a walk, isn't it?"

"I suppose", retorted coldly Sesshomaru. Realizing he wasn't going to say anything about their chase, Rin tried to control her heavy breathing, but she mentally cursed when she saw Nozomi frown.

"Lady Rin?", she asked.

"Y-yes?"

"Why are you barefoot?", she inquired curiously.

Rin blushed. She stared at her feet…they weren't only bare, they were dirty, with earth between her toes and all!

"I…well…" She sighed. "My okobos were killing me. The feel of the grass on naked feet is much nicer, don't you think?", she replied sweetly.

Nozomi's frown turned into a huge smile. "Wha… What a brilliant idea!", she exclaimed, as she removed her own okobos. "Let's go Rin, I want to get to know you!", she said.

Rin frowned and stared back at Sesshomaru, who was expressionless.

"We should let the sirs speak their manly and grown up things! Right Kireru?", she inquired while glancing back at him.

"Only if it is what Lady Rin wishes".

Rin smiled at Sesshomaru. "You wouldn't mind, my lord?"

"Hmph, of course not. Please yourself."

"I guess I will see you later then", she said with a smile, before following the smiling vixen demon.

Both males stared at them for a while, before Kireru broke the silence.

"I hope you don't mind Nozomi-chan's bold request. She wants to befriend your ward so bad…", he said with a sincere smile.

"I don't. It has come to my understanding Rin was lonely since our arrival a few days ago. She needs friends."

"Well, she seems to enjoy your company my lord… Staying with you at such late hours", he remarked with a perceptive gaze.

"She is my ward, and I do not have much free time", Sesshomaru answered evasively.

The fox demon didn't question any further. He knew better than to inquire about the nature of their relationship…even though he thought he saw his master's arm around his ward's thin waist…and whisper something close to her ear.

"Your ward sure looks very…endearing. She attracts a lot of attention. I suppose you would like me to make sure no one tries to take advantage of her…candidness during the meetings about the marriage?"

"Hmph…Let me know if Tenmaru doesn't behave properly…We wouldn't want this future husband to get distracted…"

Kireru laughed. "Of course, we wouldn't one another puzzle involving a love affair!"

"No puzzles this time. If Tenmaru touches her, I will personally slit his throat", Sesshomaru coldly retorted.

The vassal gulped. He supposed Lady Sasori was right about one thing.

Sesshomaru has inherited his father's odder traits.

…End of chapter…

A/N: Oh-ho! Will the lecherous cousin cause drama? The answer next chapter ;)


	5. Gossips and Flowers

Chapter 5 : Gossips and Flowers

Loud chattering and laughs could be heard coming from the study. A little human was stealing all the attention from the people around the table.

Rin just woke up that morning, genuinely happy. It's been a while since she has been so full of energy.

The past night was free of nightmares and painful memories. Her sleep was just…dreamless. Her good shape and bright mood gave her the impression she could overcome anything. And for the first time since her friends' deaths, she was truly happy to be in the Western Lands. Sesshomaru was right, the travel helped her feel better.

But she supposed it was not only the travel that made her feel good. Her time spent with Sesshomaru the night before was really fun. She was used to his very serious, practical or monosyllabic conversations, but last night he was actually…fooling around with her? She was also very surprised that he was actually able to cope with her small talk and clumsiness as elegantly as he did. Rin was nervous and she knew she did silly things, but apparently, he couldn't care less about her crazy speculations about his lifestyle or being unable to eat like an adult. He had been very different from the mysterious and aloof protector he was in her childhood. She truly hoped she would have other occasions to spend time with him in the near future... She blushed and shooed away that thought.

She also chatted a lot with the Nozomi girl the night before. She was really nice and talked to her about all tons of gossips around the castle. Many of them about some nasty fights involving Sesshomaru and her mother, who was apparently making his life a living hell, another bunch involved Sesshomaru's most recent violence inflicted on Jaken, some others were about the cousin, Tenmaru, trying to flirt with half the servants…the other female vassal, Tatsumaki, also a flirt, trying to steal Lord Sesshomaru's attention, to no avail, the eldest vassal, Hatsuno, trying hard to match his eldest daughter with Sesshomaru, also to no avail, and there was also some tales about a legendary beauty from the Central Lands. Apparently, the Lady Mother sent an invitation to the said beauty, kindly asking her to be Sesshomaru's escort for Tenmaru's wedding. She did everything in Sesshomaru's back, and he apparently only discovered her mother's evil scheme in a letter he received recently, which contained the enthusiastic answer from the mysterious beauty. Some servants reported he just dropped the letter on his desk, without saying a word to anyone, and went to the training room, closed the door behind him. Everything was destroyed half an hour later, and it is currently under reconstruction.

Rin could understand his frustration –she could easily relate, Kagome tried numerous times to match Rin with many villagers before she got serious with Kohaku, and the poor girl hated that beyond extent…like you could simply throw two random people into a room and hope for the best! However, she wondered if there wasn't any exaggeration to this story. Would Sesshomaru really throw a tantrum because of it? Rin thought a silent treatment type of response to his mother would have been more like him. Rin was convinced there was something else to this story…the inuyoukai must have his reasons. She took mental note to investigate later.

"Rin, Rin!"

"Wh-what?", mumbled the young woman, leaving brusquely her thoughts.

"Where were you for the past 5 minutes?", asked Nozomi with a friendly smile.

"Oh…just distracted a little", she replied shyly. "I'm sorry. What were you talking about?"

"I bet she was thinking about her next escapade in the white garden", retorted Tatsumaki with a mocking smile.

"Wh-what are you talking about?", stammered Rin.

"Don't play stupid. We all know you played hide-and-seek in the gardens with Lord Sesshomaru yesterday night."

Rin felt her face turn burgundy. "What? How do you know that?!"

"What…you really did that!?", asked Nozomi with a laugh. "That's what you were doing when we met you yesterday night?"

"NO! I mean y-y-es. I mean…never mind…", mumbled Rin, embarrassed to no end.

She thought she saw Jaken break his jaw in her peripheral vision.

"Interesting", observed Sesshomaru's mother with a smirk. "That's good material for my next argument with him", she commented as she dropped papers on the table and sat down.

"Oh…kami…", whispered Rin hopelessly.

"What did I miss?", asked Tenmaru, who sat at the same time as Sesshomaru's mother.

"Nothing!", answered Rin, with panic.

"Nothing indeed, just that the human ward was running around, flirting with the almighty Sesshomaru yesterday night and he seemed to like it", added Tatsumaki, with contempt.

"Oh! Tell me about it!", exclaimed the lecherous cousin with full attention. "Do we know if they scored?"

Rin thought she was about to faint.

"How dare you insinuate scandalous tales about Lord Sesshomaru and his ward!", retorted Jaken with fury.

"Stop it everyone. Don't you see all color left Rin's face? You will kill the poor girl with your bad mouths", retorted Kireru with annoyance.

"Oh don't take it badly, Rin. We like to tease", explained Nozomi with a smile. "We wouldn't joke around you if we didn't like you"

"Speak for yourself", retorted Tatsumaki with a smirk.

"Be quiet, people. If my son ever hears you speak such nonsense during a council meeting, he would behead you all. Stop mocking him and surely the most virtuous person in this room", intervened Lady Sasori while smiling politely at Rin.

"Now now, let's begin. As you see, our lord's favourite human is among us today. I made this particular request because I was told Rin was a woman of many talents, who could help us with decorations and entertainment"

"I agree with the entertainment part", retorted Tatsumaki.

"Silence disrespectful banshee!", retorted Jaken.

"Yes, talk to us about you Rin, we're all very curious", added Tenmaru with a flirting smile.

"Now now, only if Rin wants. I wouldn't blame her to be shy after all the ruckus you just made", commented Sesshomaru's mother.

"No it's fine Lady Sasori. I can talk a little…if it doesn't involve anything related to hide-and-seek", joked Rin.

Most people laughed at that jest. Rin was a little more reassured. Except for Kagura of the Wind's evil clone, no one around the table showed hostility.

"Well…I'm just not sure what I should talk about, maybe you could ask me questions", suggested Rin.

"Beware people, if you ask something inappropriate, I will make sure Sesshomaru is told", threatened Lady Sasori with an evil smile.

"Do you have a boyfriend?", inquired Tenmaru.

"That has nothing to do with your wedding, Tenmaru", retorted Lady Sasori with annoyance. "I'm next. Sesshomaru told me you would certainly be a keen advisor regarding flower arrangements. Would you be at ease being in charge of this task?"

"Of course! When we'll finally have nice weather, I could find what could be used around the castle."

"You know, we have florists in demon lands as well", replied Sesshomaru's mother, matter-of-factly.

"Oh…well, I suggest that only if necessary. There seems to be some very nice flower fields around. Using them at our advantage would be cost-effective", replied Rin.

Lady Sasori smiled. "Good girl! Sesshomaru would love your suggestion…cost-effective solutions are his favourite"

"Maybe he blew the answer to her ear yesterday night", supposed Tatsumaki.

"…Less coin invested in flowers means more coins for weapons and torture rooms, and you will be the first victim if you keep going, Tatsumaki", retorted Sesshomaru's mother, with an icy smile.

A few people sneered.

"My bride to-be likes to intoxicate us with tons of flowers back at home, and our dog demon noses suffer greatly. Any suggestions for that?", inquired Tenmaru.

"It's not a problem. I will make sure to select odourless sorts. Are there favourite colours I should look at?"

"It has to be compatible with our house's colors", added Sasori.

"Hum…I guess I would have to ask my bride... I will send a letter", replied Tenmaru while scratching his head.

"Tsk tsk, barely married and you don't even know your future's bride favourite colours?", inquired Lady Sasori. "Too bad. I suppose we can switch to another topic for now. I was also told you are a fair singer Rin…"

"Sesshomaru said that?", Rin asked with a little blush.

"I won't reveal my sources, my dear", replied Lady Sasori with a playful smile. "But we could use the talent of an additional singer for one of the shows…"

"Oh…well…I don't know, I didn't follow any courses or anything. I just sing sometimes…as a hobby…"

"Oh don't worry, we're not searching for a lead singer, just an additional female voice for a chorus. If it interests you, we could schedule a meeting with the group to test you a little", explained Nozomi.

"O-okay. Good idea.", replied Rin.

"Done! Another topic now, what's your favourite colour?", asked Tenmaru.

"Orange. Why?", asked Rin.

"You prefer sweet or salt?", added Tenmaru.

"Huhhh…sweet? What is the point of all those questions?"

"Ah just personal surveys I do around…Do you like sake?", questioned Tenmaru quickly.

"I don't mind it…"

"Do you have a boyfriend?", he added.

"That again?", wondered Rin.

"Aside from Sesshomaru of course", added Tatsumaki.

Sasori pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You shouldn't answer that, Rin", suggested Kireru.

"Well I heard she doesn't have a boyfriend. She's a widow, apparently", answered Tatsumaki flatly.

That remark stung Rin like an arrow…suddenly remembering why she was there in the first place.

"Okay that's enough Tatsumaki. Get out", retorted Lady Sasori.

"Finally!", she exclaimed. She left swiftly as a winter breeze.

"I'm sorry if my presence is causing so much trouble Sasori-sama", said Rin with worry.

"Don't worry Rin-chan. I expel this harpy in one meeting out of two", replied Sesshomaru's mother with a polite smile. "My son also expels her a lot. This has nothing to do with you".

"Oh…"

"However, you do look a bit sad. Is it because of her remarks?"

"No, it's alright Sasori-sama"

"But I mean, she isn't a real widow right?", asked Tenmaru with a raised eyebrow.

"Tenmaru! You stop with your hundreds of intrusive questions.", warned Sasori with a dangerous tone.

"Technically, I am not a widow. The…boyfriend I had back in my village was about to propose when he got killed", explained Rin. If this was a subject of gossips, she thought she was better to get this over with. "This happened very recently. Actually, one of the reasons Sesshomaru brought me here is because he felt the village I live in is not as safe as it used to be…"

"Indeed, I heard human lands have trouble with some berserk demons recently, more than us…but I never thought…I mean…I'm so sorry I brought this up. I didn't know", answered Tenmaru with a sorry look.

Rin suddenly felt her eyes water up. And she was so cheerful before showing up here! She closed her eyes briefly and smiled reassuringly at Sesshomaru's cousin.

"It's okay. I'm sure you meant no harm. But for obvious reasons I'd rather avoid talking about this", replied Rin, while scrubbing the corner of an eye.

A deadly silence loomed over them for a few seconds. Nozomi gently patted her back.

"If you find this overwhelming, feel free to excuse yourself", suggested Sesshomaru's mother. Even her was a little shocked. Her son hadn't told her his ward was about to get married. How ironic to ask her to participate in the planning of someone else's marriage when she was mourning some human boy.

"This was the boy Sesshomaru briefly traveled with, before Naraku's death?", inquired the Lady Mother.

"Yes, it was him", whispered Rin.

"Oh…I'm so sorry to hear that…He looked like a brave boy", commented Lady Sasori.

"He was, my lady…he died protecting me", added Rin. She felt a tear fell down her cheek.

"Okay, well I think we are due for a break", suggested Kireru, unable to bear the tension in the air.

"Yes, good idea", added Nozomi.

"Okay, a break and we come back in a short while", replied Sesshomaru's mother neutrally.

Rin stood up and went straight for the courtyard.

"Rin, wait!", called Nozomi.

"I'm sorry…I would like to be alone for a few minutes", pleaded Rin, as she was getting away as fast as she could.

As soon as she was outside, she took a deep breath, and let a couple of tears fall. She laid her back against the wall and tried to gather her thoughts. How terrible that meeting went! She felt like she was in a trial. She closed her eyes and tried to hush her troubled thoughts for a while.

"Hey, flower girl", interrupted a masculine voice.

Rin opened her eyes. "Tenmaru."

"I thought you would like these!", he said with a beaming smile as he gave her a bunch of bright orange flowers. Rin giggled. Of course he would use the information he just got to his advantage.

"Yeah…you better laugh louder. Sesshomaru is inside and doesn't look very happy. I'm afraid I will get killed now", Tenmaru joked.

"What? He wouldn't…"

"I'm serious. He. Is. Here!", he whispered with clenched teeth.

Rin peered through a window and to her surprise, Tenmaru was right. Lady Sasori and Sesshomaru were talking. Both had cold expression, but for some reason, Rin could guess Sesshomaru was in the mood for a few kills.

"You know…Tatsumaki is often a pain…but rarely as much as today. I think Lady Sasori will just expel her permanently from the wedding's planning. I'm pretty sure she values your contribution more than hers".

"What is Tatsumaki supposed to do?", asked Rin.

"Well, she's supposed to be in charge of security, but many people can take care of that. However, we only have one floral specialist", he added with a charming smile.

"Well…I hate conflict. I hope everything will be okay…"

"Yeah, I'm sure it will be quieter next time, sweetheart. I'll stop asking questions, and I'll kick Tatsumaki next time she says something rude."

Rin laughed. "It's not necessary".

"No I insist. Also, you might want to know the banshee has been trying to attract Sesshomaru's attention for a decade, but he couldn't care less. In fact, he usually couldn't care less about anyone, you being in the only exception, so she must be sickly jealous."

"…I sure wish I would attract less attention", observed Rin with a pout.

"Yeah well, it's not everyday we see a gorgeous human maiden around here", he said with a teasing smile.

"Oh come on! All the women around here are dashing!", retorted Rin with indignation. Like she could compare…

"Hmm, I disagree…"

"What? Are you kidding? There are gods and goddesses everywhere! And I'm…I'm…you know…human looking…"

"Oh, I'm a god-looking then?", he asked with a teasing smile.

"What?…Ah…I…won't…answer that", she said with a shy smile.

"Well then, if I'm a god, you are a fay Lady Rin. You are bewitching. You have to forgive us for being so wild around you…You are like the heroine of the Pink Orchin", he mused

"Oh please stop it", retorted Rin with a confused smile. "…what is the Pink Orchin?", she asked

"Oh Rin…of course you don't know…", he said with a lecherous smile.

"What is it?"

"It's a book: a love story between a werewolf and a nymph: a true classic of demons' literature. You remind me of the dreamy nymph princess…"

"Oh please, I bet you are just trying to cheer me up"

"I'm serious. You know…around here human concubines are actually the most valued ones. Especially the beautiful maidens…"

"So I have to be careful then?", she asked, with a playful smile.

"Yes. Seriously. I suggest we get back inside now, or Sesshomaru will think I abducted you".

"Of course. We wouldn't want to worry him now, don't we?", she replied with a wink while following him.

"Exactly Lady Rin. You are so precious, I bet _he_ is here because he smelt the single tear you let far earlier, because of me"

"It's not because of you, Tenmaru…"

"I was so mesmerized by your beauty I couldn't help but ask you hundreds of questions".

They were getting closer now. She saw Sesshomaru stare at them, and she had the impression Tenmaru feared for his dear life. She decided to go with what she supposed was a safe topic

"Talk to me about your future wife, Tenmaru."

"Oh, she's alright".

"That's all?", inquired Rin, while raising an eyebrow.

"You could at least try, Tenmaru", commented Sesshomaru with cold annoyance.

"What? Any woman looks bland next to your splendid, voluptuous, irresistible…"

"Tenmaru…Stop talking", ordered Sesshomaru dryly, not liking at all where this discussion was going.

Tenmaru did just as he was told and sat to his seat. Rin noticed how silent the room was. Apparently, everyone was tense with Sesshomaru around. The youkai lord glanced at Rin. She smiled reassuringly at him.

"Is everything alright, Rin?", he asked.

"Yes! Everything's good", she insisted.

"I'm glad to hear it. I wouldn't want anyone to treat you badly".

Rin couldn't hear anyone breathing. The tension was laughable.

"Well then, I shall be going", he said icily, his glance full of threats towards his vassals.

After he left, Rin heard a couple of sighs of relief. At least, the rest of the meeting was surprisingly uneventful.

…

Rin hummed to herself as she explored the flower fields around the mansion. She gathered many types of flowers, mostly of red shades. She knew it was the main color of the Inu house, so she could start working with that.

There were a few guards watching her from afar, but she had no company, all the vassals had to meet up to discuss other topics, after the discussion about the wedding was done. She was a bit disappointed she couldn't attend, but she supposed security issues weren't her business anyway.

"You should really come back to the castle. The sun will go down very soon", suggested a cold, feminine voice.

Rin glanced back behind her and was amazed to see Sesshomaru's mother was right there. She was a silent walker like her son.

"Why for? I believe this area is very safe, my lady"

Lady Sasori scoffed. "I'm not worried about that. Look at yourself, dear. You're dirty."

Rin blushed. "I apologize. It's a bit tricky to stay clean in wild fields such as these…with the mud…"

"I don't mind that. It's nice to see someone work hard around these lands for a change. But you need to get yourself ready for dinner…"

"Wha…what dinner?"

"Tonight's dinner! I think everyone –even Sesshomaru– will attend. You must be there as well", insisted Lady Sasori. "Come now…I would like to help you find nice clothes"

Rin smiled as she followed the demoness. She was amazed how her white garments weren't soiled from their walk in the muddy filed. How did she do that?

"Well, it won't be hard my lady…with all the extravagant things I found in my wardrobe…"

"No, I meant something really nice, Rin. You have such a nice exotic skin colour, I would like to see how you look with a nice white and gold furisode", commented the lady formally.

"I don't think I have that…"

"I do", she said with a playful smile.

Rin gasped. "I can't wear your clothes, my lady! You-you're the lady of the West!"

"Tsk! Nonsense! We're almost of the same height, I believe it will fit you perfectly. It's something I used to wear two centuries ago. Nobody will remember", she insisted. "If it looks good, I'll have a seamstress come for you so you can have your own next week"

"My lady, you are too kind!", replied Rin with a blush.

"Oh please, I'm not being generous here, it's just to satisfy my own curiosity", Lady Sasori reasoned.

Rin smiled. Like mother, like son. It was funny how neither Sesshomaru nor Sasori would ever openly admit having kindness in them.

Rin found out Lady Sasori wasn't a bad companion. She took the opportunity to ask her what she thought about the flowers she just gathered. After that, the demoness kept poor Rin busy for about 2 hours with tons of servants helping her clean up, comb her hair and dress her up. By the time they arrived at the dining room, most people had arrived.

"I don't see Lord Sesshomaru", observed Rin.

"Oh, he always arrives last. He thinks his time is more important than everyone else's", scoffed the Lady Mother. "Alas, don't expect to sit next to him. He will want to talk business with his boring vassals, like he does all the time", she warned.

"Oh…", whispered Rin, with deception.

"But don't worry, you can sit next to me. You'll see I'm a nice companion too, though not as pleasing to the eye as my son…", she said with a teasing smile.

"What are you talking about, you are a gorgeous lady!", retorted Rin with a blush.

"Don't play innocent, little girl, you knew what I meant!", retorted Sasori with derision.

Rin's blush went a shade darker. Sasori laughed at that.

"You are so endearing and innocent, little Rin. You have to learn to hide your emotions a little, or all the demons around here will tease you to no end, just to see how many shades of pink and red your cheeks can emit"

"Oh Kami…is it really that bad?", whispered Rin.

"Some men will find that cute, but women will use that to their advantage…"

"How am I supposed to control my blushes, is that even possible?", wondered the human out loud.

"Some self confidence is necessary. And a bit of powder can help too at first", explained the demoness.

"Sesshomaru told me I shouldn't wear powder", replied Rin, without thinking.

"He said that?", inquired the mother with a mischievous smile.

"I-I…never mind", whispered Rin with shame. She REALLY shouldn't have said that.

"So I suppose my son must be fond of your little blushes. Well then, just wear it during the day and remove it when you visit him at night", suggested Sasori with amusement.

"…This is-this is not a routine for me to keep him company after midnight", stammered Rin defensively.

"Oh dear, don't take it badly. My son is a very busy man, I doubt you can be around him a lot during the day… with all his boring Lord of the Western Lands duties…Anyway, I found out his mood is more pleasant at night, so visiting him at late hours is not a bad idea", explained the youkai lady, she glanced briefly at Rin. "But maybe you knew that already…"

"I didn't, Lady Sasori…Is it…Is it why everyone looked so tense this morning…when Sesshomaru showed up during the break?", asked Rin, trying to change the subject.

"…Well since Tatsumaki stormed off earlier than usual, I supposed he was wondering what was going on…and he noticed you weren't inside during the break…"

"W-was he angry?", asked Rin with worry.

"No, but very suspicious. You know he's very protective when you're concerned…"

Rin blushed.

"But…in all honesty, I just told him Tatsumaki was a little more arrogant than usual and that you wanted to enjoy the early sunrays…", she whispered. "And then, Tenmaru ran for his dear life and covered you in flowers. After that, I suppose seeing you come in with your beaming smile must have calmed him a bit…"

"So he doesn't know how much drama there was…"

"And it should stays that way…for everyone's sake. If he knew how some people misbehaved, he could refuse to let you attend to other meetings, or, even worse, he could decide to attend to them himself"

"What…I think that would be nice!", commented Rin with a smile.

Sasori laughed loudly. "You're a lovely girl. No…I assure you, you don't want that."

"Why?"

"He's a real terror during his councils reunion…"

"Sesshomaru…really? But I thought he wasn't that much of a talker…"

"He doesn't need to talk a lot my dear, just his icy aura and some rare, precise and murderous questions are enough to make everyone behave…I swear you need to be wrapped in furs when you attend to those meetings. So when we meet-up to discuss about wedding and celebrations, and that he isn't around with his deadly serious topics, it's really recreational for most of us…"

"…well, I think he does look tough, but he isn't really cold…", commented Rin.

"This I am aware of…he has a thick, icy armor outside…but inside, there is something else we don't see very often", observed the Lady Mother. She stared suspiciously at Rin. "But maybe you did…"

"What makes you think that?", asked Rin, already more guarded than earlier.

"The little toad told me a few things. In fact, he says he misses the old days when you were travelling all together. Your presence soothes Sesshomaru's anger, apparently…"

"Jaken said that?", inquired Rin with a smile.

"Yes he did. And there is also the hide and seek episode…"

"That again…", started Rin with a sigh.

"I talked to some people who've seen you last night. Apparently, he touched you more often during that game than he touched any other woman over at least a hundred years…"

Rin turned burgundy. Touched her? He must have caught her wrist twice…thrice at most… "There must be some exaggerations…"

"Well…considering he tends to stay away from women as if they were made of lava…no, I'm barely exaggerating…", Sasori said after taking a sip of her drink. "Speaking of the devil…"

Rin glanced back and saw Sesshomaru sit at the far end of the table, surrounded by vassals and what she supposed were royal guards.

Then, she noticed other vassals: Tenmaru sitting in front of her, and Nozomi next to her. She hadn't even noticed their presence.

"Yes, before you ask, we listened to everything you were talking about", retorted Tenmaru with a suave smile.

"Kami, there is no privacy around here?", wondered Rin, with a hint of annoyance.

"Nope, never", replied Nozomi curtly with a playful smile. "But don't worry, we're not evil like Tatsumaki, your topic was just so interesting we couldn't help it…"

"Tsk tsk…first thing you should learn about this mansion Rin…Is to never trust anyone", retorted Lady Sasori coldly.

"Hey! We aren't bad people you know", retorted Tenmaru with indignation. "In fact, I'm a little offended by your insinuations, dear aunt…"

"There are ears and eyes everywhere in this castle. Everyone, especially Sesshomaru's human ward, must be aware of that. You may not have ill will, but there are other people around…"

"You're depressing, aunt Sasori", retorted Tenmaru, with annoyance.

"That's the life of the Lord and Ladies of the Western Lands, dear nephew", replied the Lady of the West with a cold gaze.

As they were eating and chit chatting, Rin stole a glance at the far end of the table, in Sesshomaru's direction. He was listening to some extravagant tale of his vassal Hatsuno, who apparently caught all the men's attention. Sesshomaru's expression was, as usual, hard to decipher, but the fact that he was resting his chin on his hand made Rin think he reached at least a moderate level of boredom.

"I can hear them from here", whispered Nozomi to Rin. "Hatsuno is talking about his daughter again…"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, he's talking about her new interest in hunting…"

"He does gesticulate a lot…From afar, it looks like some fancy tale everyone should be interested in…", whispered Rin.

"Not at all. I would say most men around him are just being polite…I would say the captain of the royal guards does look a bit interested, but we all know this isn't the one Hatsuno is trying to match his daughter to…"

"Sesshomaru must be bored out of his mind", commented Rin.

"Totally. You know how many preys Sesshomaru kills in a year…He couldn't care less about a girly demoness hunting a few rabbits…"

"Rabbits?", Rin asked with curiosity. "Even I kill bigger preys than that…", she told spontaneously.

Nozomi looked interested. "Really?"

"Yeah, rabbits are easy. During some winters, we had to hunt deer to help feed the village. But we hunt dangerous demons too…", she answered, while she kept looking at Sesshomaru.

"You kill demons?", wondered Nozomi, bewildered.

"Of course I killed a few demons when they attacked the village…Well…not everyday and not big demons…but…you know, Kohaku and his sister Sango are demon slayers...they learned me a few tricks."

"Fascinating! I wish I could hunt more but I never have the time! When was your last kill?", asked Nozomi with enthusiasm.

Then Rin remembered she was talking to a canine demon. She supposed it was normal to brag about preys.

"Well… on my way to the Western Lands, I sliced a lizard demon's arm…"

"No way! And he fled?"

"No, Sesshomaru shred him into pieces", continued Rin. "It was in a ghost town. Sesshomaru killed many other foes that night…"

And then Rin stopped talking. Sesshomaru had moved his glance from his vassal to look at her.

Nozomi noticed how Rin stopped talking and glanced back at what she was looking.

"Oh! He…is…staring at you!"

"Yes he is", replied Rin quietly.

She realized she didn't know what to do, he was just too far and she couldn't talk to him. Waving at him would look silly in front of everyone, so she just smiled sweetly.

"Oh my! He's still looking. He's totally not paying attention to what Hatsuno is saying now. I bet he's more interested by our conversation topic"

"What, you think he's listening?!", wondered Rin out loud, while glancing back to her companion.

"Totally! He obviously glanced at you because he must have heard his name a few times", replied Nozomi with excitement. "Oh my!"

"What?!", Rin asked while glancing back at Sesshomaru.

"Ha! I swore I saw the ghost of smile on his face before he took a sip of his sake. I told you he was spying on us!"

"I missed that?", wondered Rin. "Damn it!"

"What? No bad words now, young lady", protested Lady Sasori. "What makes you curse like that anyway?"

"Oh, nothing", she said with a sweet smile. "Anyway, where is Tenmaru?"

"He just finished eating like a pig so he could flirt with the sake girl", pointed Sasori with annoyance.

"What, again?", wondered Nozomi. "He could at least wait until his honeymoon is over before doing that…"

"I'm afraid your expectations are too high, fox girl", retorted the Lady Mother dryly.

"That's sad. Is it because he doesn't love his future wife?", observed Rin.

"Oh dear Rin... Demon customs are a bit different", answered Sasori with a sorry smile. "I think some humans marry for "love" reasons, right?"

"Well…yes…"

"We don't have that around here", explained Sasori flatly. "Our marriages keep our bloodlines pure, and are an opportunity to create strategic relations between different houses."

"That's not always true", corrected Nozomi with a frown.

"Mostly true. Love is for servants and courtesans, not for ladies and queens…", retorted Sasori.

Rin glanced back at her cup of tea and took a sip, but she noticed someone sat in front of her. Her eyes grew wide when she looked up.

"Well well, we have some company", observed Sasori. "Why are you here, Sesshomaru?"

"Sesshomaru-sama!", exclaimed Rin with renewed joy. "It's nice to see you"

"So, how is your first dinner at the Western Lands' table?", he asked, voluntarily ignoring his mother. "I hope you are enjoying yourself".

"Very much my lord. I had very nice company tonight, but it would have been even nicer if you would have been closer", she replied with honesty.

He raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that, I'm afraid the topics on the other side of the table would have tired you".

"Well they sure bored you to death, my son. It's not like you to leave your lordly seat to make small talk..."

"What is it mother? You don't like my visits?", he asked ironically.

"I know for a fact it's not me you came to see. But I suppose I can understand it was painful to see Rin around me for so long", she taunted.

"Are you accusing me of jealousy?", he asked dryly

Rin blushed furiously, while Nozomi tried not to explode from laugher. The Lord and Lady of the West were they really fighting over a human girl?

"Maybe so. After all, it was just like she was MY ward tonight, don't you think?", she said with a wink.

"How amusing you are searching for a human ward. I thought you were the one asking me a while ago if I intended to eat Rin for breakfast…"

Rin almost spilled her drink. Sasori glared at him. Now he just ruined her attempts to be trusted by the human girl.

"What are you now my son? A vegetarian?", asked the Lady Mother.

"Certainly not a human eater… that's so old fashioned", retorted Sesshomaru with disdain.

Rin took note of asking Nozomi what Sesshomaru meant about "human eating" being "old fashioned".

"And what's the new fashion around humans, Sesshomaru? Playing hide and seek?", replied her mother with a smirk.

Rin blushed. Sesshomaru displayed his highest level of impassiveness.

"You shouldn't make my ward feel bad about her candid behaviour, mother"

"I'm not talking about your ward's candidness, Sesshomaru. I'm talking about you. Just how old are you exactly?", she said with a sardonic smile.

"Old enough to know which games are the most _entertaining_, mother", he retorted while raising an eyebrow, in what Rin was supposed to be a daring fashion.

Then he got closer to Rin and whispered to her ear "I must excuse myself. Enjoy your night, my dear _Rin_".

His tone was so smooth Rin wanted to faint.

He stood up and left the room, leaving his blushing ward and his infuriated mother. Lady Sasori excused herself not long after.

"I told you it's totally the war between them", whispered Nozomi after a while. "I'm pretty sure he just whispered to your ear to anger his mother".

"Yes, that must be it", replied Rin flatly.

Of course he wouldn't do anything…_flirty_ around her if there weren't a more…obscure purpose. He was probably just trying to provoke his mother after the big escort incident…She supposed Sesshomaru's friendliness with a human must disturb the Lady Mother more than what she was ready to admit: she seemed so friendly and helpful with her earlier. Rin wasn't sure what to think anymore.

She wasn't sure if she liked or not to be a pawn in their little games, but at least it was making her forget her own problems marvellously.

…

The night was growing late, and his eyes were itchy and dry. So…terribly…dry.

Sesshomaru took a moment to rub his eyes. He could usually deal with long hours of reading and writing.

This certainly wasn't what he liked the most in his duties…but he did enjoy the silence and solitude that came with the tiresome task…especially after the loud hubbub of an official dinner. He tried not to think about the scene he made with his mother...and his malicious use of his ward. Maybe he shouldn't have done that…but his mother was so…infuriating…It was getting worse very year…

He locked his thoughts away and got back to work…He was very displeased….He received a detailed report of gossips about Lady Kizuisen, the woman they believed could be the source of the conflicts between his vassals at the borders…

Lady Kizuisen apparently had her lips painted in a "very suspicious red" and "had her hair tied in a very provocative bun" two days past. Not only was she not married to the vassal she was supposed to, Kachikimaru, but according to this report, she might also be cheating on her new husband, Katashi. Sesshomaru frowned…with her former betrothed maybe? Sesshomaru let the paper slide from his fingers and fall slowly on his desk…nagging him with its unpleasant content. He hated gossips, but if his informant said true, a single lady threatened to spread not only uncertainty, but true chaos on a very strategic part of the Western Land's borders…. Still, this report merely informed him of one of his vassal's wife look. Could he really take the content seriously and speculate on future events?

He read one the sentences again, with a glint of confusion in his amber eyes…Hair tied in a provocative bun…provocative…really? He absently wondered how tied hair could be provocative? What kind of sick mind could think dirty while looking at a bun ?!

Really…He should leave that task to a female, who would find some meaning to the way this lady Kizuisen behave and dress up. He looked boringly at the paper from a distance.

Sesshomaru pinched the bridge of his nose. If he really cared about such frivolities, he could actually pick up some ancient book about woman etiquette, which he knew he could find somewhere…

He stared at the bookshelf behind him and frowned. He was annoyed …Was he really going to do this? Some research to understand pointless gossips?

He was so unenthusiastic that he even considered dropping all his paperworks and go kill the problematic vassals to get this over with. And who cared if that could provoke a war and cause chaos and destruction on his lands? He'd rather fight rebels to death than read this mindless peace of junk, and even worse…be forced to do research about it! Of course, he could ask his mother for advice, but then she would blame him for not listening during his extremely painful etiquette courses, and she might even try to persuade him to go through all the torture again, then he would dryly refuse, and would follow some insults about him being ungrateful or unmindful, maybe even a fight involving random pointy objects flying around, and him trying not to kill her. Even worse, she could go through a silent treatment phase and desert the royal palace and leave him with all the duties she is attending to (which she already did many times in the past). Considering there was a wedding coming that he apparently had to moral responsibility to host, it was really not a good time for this. Hell, He didn't want to THINK about this damned marriage…

Just when he thought there was no way to escape his torments…He heard a weak knock on the door, but he didn't bother to answer. None of his personal guards knocks at the door, except for a few rookies…But even then…all the recruits are dismissed at such late hour.

Then the door opened. The youkai lord frowned. It better be important, or this person might very well have its throat slit.

A pair of hazel eyes peeked shyly inside. The youkai lord's trait softened.

"…Rin."

She smiled. "Good evening Sesshomaru-sama. Can I come in?", she asked with her trademark smile.

He nodded. Mental torture could wait…he supposed.

He looked at her while she put down a frail vase with a red tulip on his desk. He raised an interrogative eyebrow at her. She blushed.

"Lady Sasori asked me to find which flowers would be best to decorate the temple for the wedding ceremony. I brought a few flowers inside and thought you might enjoy one red tulip…It's…it's not a huge bouquet or a silly flower crown…it's just a flower and-

"No need to explain yourself. I do not mind it", dropped Sesshomaru, matter-of-factly.

Rin looked surprised. "Really? I thought…you never accepted my flowers before…"

"It doesn't take much place…and I don't have to carry it around…"

Rin giggled. "Now that you mention it…you are right. I never thought when I was younger that my crazy flower bouquets would be a burden to all your manly swordfights. I was so silly!"

"I never thought you were silly. You were just a child", he replied stoically.

Rin smiled. "It's such a shame you do not have any children. I bet you would be the most patient father!"

He raised an eyebrow. He was complimented in various ways in his life, but it was the first time he heard this one. Rin blushed again.

"Never mind. I'm being silly again. I just wanted to thank you."

"What for?"

"For…giving me the opportunity to work with the council for the wedding. I really enjoy having to focus on such a rejoicing event!"

He nodded. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. My mother already told me she enjoyed your presence as well…which means, she might keep you busy in the upcoming weeks. Let me know if that bothers you."

"Oh no need to worry, my lord. I know you have your quarrels…but your mother is kind with me, I'm glad I can be of help!"

He raised an eyebrow again…his mother…kind? That was another first…

"Anyway I…don't want to disturb you any longer. I just wanted to let you know I would love to assist in anything I can be of use and…that's it!"

She left out the part about her need to see him before retiring for the night. She didn't have to chance to exchange more than a few formalities with him today.

"Good night…"

"Wait…"

"Hmm? What is it my lord?"

"I believe your offer could be useful right away. Close the door and sit down", he commanded while looking back at the threat lying on his desk.

She nodded and stood in front of his him. He stared briefly at her with an undecipherable look, before glancing at the paper.

"What is this?" she inquired, while taking it in her hands.

"You must remember the issues about the Western Lands borders. I want you to have a look at this and give me your…feminine expertise"

"O…okay!", she blurted, her mind full of curiosity.

He quietly watched her as she read. He saw for a brief moment an amused expression before her lips turned into a pout.

"…Interesting…", she whispered.

"I'm frankly not sure what I should understand of this report about make up and hair bun", he retorted with annoyance. "Rin, in your view, is there anything important in this…letter?"

Rin smiled widely. "Well…I'm not entirely sure if demon and human customs are the same, but according to what I know…the woman who wrote this must be very old fashioned. I mean…what's wrong with the red lips?"

"Hmph, don't ask me", replied Sesshomaru with boredom. He thought the same.

"But then, I read the part about the shape of her bun…and the way she tied her obi…Sesshomaru-sama…this woman is taken, right?"

"Apparently, yes"

"Well…" Rin cleared her throat. "According to my own perception, I would consider her overall appearance more than sulphurous. I'd totally understand her husband to be infuriated".

Sesshomaru's amber gaze froze on Rin's chestnut eyes, making her feel suddenly very self conscious, as if he was trying to extirpate some other piece of information out of her mind. Rin stared at her feet.

"Oh, I forgot. There's also the very important fact that she was holding half a dozen of red roses when she was seen by your informant."

"What about it?"

"Well…if it was only one rose, it could be anything…but half a dozen? Someone gave her that…"

"It could be her husband…", replied Sesshomaru.

"Every flower has a meaning my lord. According to her look, a stranger couldn't even know she's married. It must be very humiliating for her husband. I would be amazed he would want to give her a bunch of flowers associated to passionate love. I'd say they would rather be due for a nasty argument", commented Rin.

Sesshomaru took back the paper with a dark look. He supposed that must be why he received this so quickly…

"Then again, you might want to confirm this with some demon woman…just to make sure", insisted Rin. "During dinner, your mother seemed to insinuate Tenmaru's behaviour was barely surprising…like faithfulness is not something to be expected between demon mates?"

"Don't listen to her. She's just cynic", replied Sesshomaru flatly. "This letter will be brought up at the council's meeting tomorrow. I will test their reaction", replied Sesshomaru. "Considering more and more clues seem to corroborate your hypothesis of a…love triangle, I can't help but value your advices, Rin"

Rin blushed bashfully and tried to control her smile. "W-well…th-thank you my lord. Wow. I feel smart now".

"You are a smart woman", he confirmed matter-of-factly. "You should stop calling yourself…silly", he added with what Rin comprehended as a hint of amusement. "You can leave now, if you want"

"Oh…yes…Thank you my lord", she smiled, stood up and walked slowly towards the door.

"Rin…", called Sesshomaru. Rin stopped in her tracks. She was growing fond of the little wisp of softness his tone had when calling her name.

"Yes, my lord?", she asked, glancing back at him with a quizzical look. Her breath caught in her throat when she noticed he was looking at her straight in the eyes. She never got used to the power emanating of his stares.

"I've also received reports of foreign demons wandering in this area, clearly a consequence of the feeble collaboration between Kachikimaru and Katashi", he mentioned with contempt. "I will have to go see by myself. This will be the time to discuss with these three to make sure their issues are solved"

"Of course! What about it?"

"I would like you to accompany me. Jaken will come as well…"

Rin beamed a smile. "No way! We'll be traveling just like old times?!"

"Don't take this lightly Rin. Considering neither my mother, nor I are…fit…for this type of non-violent intervention… I would like you to be in charge"

"Wh…what? You mean…you want me to talk with them or something?"

"Yes, especially the woman. I doubt I have enough patience within me to resist what I consider the easy way to solve this issue. However, I still believe we could benefit from a pacific settlement…"

"Why not asking one of your vassals?"

"It's pointless. Kachikimaru and Katashi will not obey equals"

"But they'll obey a human girl?"

"You will talk, but I will attend as well. If they refuse to collaborate, they know I will personally deal with them", explained the youkai lord matter-of-factly.

"W-well…if you think I am fit for the job…I…will do my best, Lord Sesshomaru", she said with a smile.

He nodded, apparently satisfied. She saw him stare briefly at the tulip. As she turned on her heels…

"If every flower has a meaning…Tell me, what is the signification associated with this one", he said while glancing at the red tulip.

Rin stared at the flower worriedly and bit her lip. "Oh…well…I honestly don't know, my lord. I had started reading a book about significations of flowers a while back…but I never had the time to finish it…", she said sheepishly. "Actually…I picked it for you because I thought its red shade was a perfect match with the patterns on your clothes…but I could check the signification if you like."

"Don't trouble yourself, it was just pointless curiosity…Sleep well, Rin", he said softly.

"O-okay! Good night my lord", she replied with a blush.

She had a fuzzy feeling in her stomach; he did bother a lot with polite formalities today.

…End of chapter…

Well…there was a lot of blah blah in this one, but many pieces of information left here are important for the rest of the story. There will be some action in next chapter, and some real drama!


	6. The Sun of the Western Lands

A/N : Huge thanks for the reviews, everyone!

Gawd, I had like 4 possible titles pour this chapter, lots of things going on, hope you will enjoy, even though I have an obsession with putting characters in the most awkward situations!

I worked a lot on Sesshomaru's POV on this one. You're welcome ;)

There will be some mature themes in this chapter.

Chapter 6 : The Sun of the Western Lands

The regular sound of a blade rubbing against a stone could be heard, as Sesshomaru took all his time to sharpen Bakusaiga. He stared at the delicate designs on his immaculate blade. They had almost arrived at the eastern borders and he didn't even have the chance to use it yet…a true shame. He frowned, thinking about all the suspicious smells they had encountered during their travel. Not all these scents were from allies, he knew. Their way towards the borders might have been eventless, he expected their way back would be different. He didn't bring it up: Jaken and Rin didn't need to know for now.

They had other preoccupations anyway…

"Riiiiiiiin! Where are youuuuu?", squawked the toad demon. "Rin…it is time to leave now!"

Sesshomaru tried not to grind his teeth at his servant's harassment addressed to his ward. He had forgotten how Jaken's voice was even more of a high-pitched infuriating croak when talking to Rin. He briefly wondered how he had succeeded hearing it for so long without killing the toad.

"One minute, master Jaken! I'm almost ready!", replied the young woman cheerfully.

"Don't you see we are waiting for you?! We have to go!", retorted the toad demon impatiently.

Sesshomaru glanced absently at Jaken. If he would have been a more expressive character, he would gladly have rolled his eyes at the precise moment he noticed his servant was childishly tapping his foot, apparently unable to wait a minute more.

"I'm almost done!", protested Rin.

"Foolish girl, you are disrespectful towards our master! Come at once!", he yelled.

_Enough…_

Sesshomaru sheated his sword and stood up.

"Jaken", intervened blankly the youkai lord.

"Y-yes milord…", replied the vassal.

"I find it irritating when you take the liberty to speak in my name", he warned with a tone full of threats. He didn't need to look at the toad to comprehend panic was travelling through his blood, already anticipating some violent reprimand.

"I apologize my lord. I won't do it again", he said, bowing low.

Sesshomaru decided to avoid stepping willingly on his toad servant as he approached his ward: the day was still young and he would never make it through without a slaughter if he didn't start it with some self-control.

He moved silently through the lush forest, laid his back on the trunk of a tree and crossed his arms as he watched his ward get prepared. The view was interesting.

Even though they had spent the night in the wilds, she had succeeded putting on a bright green furisode made of silk, with patterns of silver leaves: elegant, simple and flowing nicely: and not clearly giving off her social status. Her face was a tad brighter than usual, with efficient emphasis on her doe eyes with the help of a pale brown line on her eyelids. She had a pendant with a green leaf, a gift she had just received from her human friends, who had written her back, as an early birthday present. His vassals had been fussing over the human birthday concept, but that was another matter.

She was currently painting her lips with a magenta shade. A wise choice, he thought. Pink would have been childish, red : sulphurous (or so he had learned), something in between gave her some kind of mysterious appeal, stating she was old enough to be married, but not desperately seeking attention.

He found her overall appearance refined and pleasant: much more appealing to look at than the… dozens of aspiring ladies of the west who had tried so hard to steal his attention, showing off exaggeratedly pulpous red lips, naked shoulders and uncalled for cleavage, leaving nothing to imagination, all of them showing off more and more, as if they were too dumb to understand scabrous appearances were only good to repulse him.

The few women who didn't play that card were usually bland princesses, hidden between four walls their entire life: raised, existing only to carry good looking and powerful heirs, boring females bred for the purpose of being erased, submissive mates…Pitiful, really…

He had the strong conviction all potential consorts belonged to either one of those categories. It was one of the reasons, among many others, why he was still without a spouse.

He suddenly wondered why his mind dared to compare Rin with all those women. Of course Rin would be different: she wasn't a demon, she wasn't even noble.

And she wasn't a suitor…She was Rin.

…Still, he couldn't help but…acknowledge her balanced beauty…enlightened by her beautiful smile, probably her biggest asset. She had grown pleasantly tall, which he would never have thought, considering how small and puny she was as a kid. Her hair was thick and soft under his touch; her floral scent was light and welcoming. Even…her figure was nice...Damn Tenmaru and his comment about her being voluptuous…His own manly eyes hadn't truly noticed before he heard his cousin's lecherous remark. Now his entire perception of Rin was forever soiled with some biological…constraints he hardly had to deal with before… This was all so awkward…

This should be a good enough reason to kill Tenmaru.

Sesshomaru lightly frowned. He didn't like his trail of thoughts. He knew Rin was endearing. Even if he hadn't truly paid attention before: his court forced him to notice on a daily basis... He knew she was distracting many people back at the mansion, many men…

But now he realized he was _among_ them. His actions were speaking for themselves. He might have stared at her too many times, talked to her just to hear her voice…Enter her personal space and whisper to her ear to anger his mother…or for no logical reason…except for the thrill of feeling her heart beat faster at his closeness. Would he have done all of these inane things if he hadn't found her attractive?

He wasn't an idiot. No…he definitely wouldn't have.

When did she become a woman again? He frankly didn't remember…didn't see it coming. It's true he had so rarely seen her in the past years…It was as if there were no transition. She was the child he had to protect, with the cheerful personality that soothed him. Now she was still the girl with the cheerful personality, but in a body he didn't know what to do with…Not only that, but her personality had become more complex…and he still didn't know all about that adult Rin yet…But he did know she was funny, and bright, and clumsy in a _charming_ way…

He was amazed almost everyone at court liked her, but he could only understand. He could actually relate…a little…

She finally raised her eyes and gasped when she noticed his blatant stare: a healthy blush creeping out, even with her powder on. He refrained the urge to touch that cheek, just to see how warm it would be.

Her gaze was troubled for an instant before her smile came back.

"My Lord…you were staring", she observed shyly.

He didn't deny. Denying would make it even worse, as if he was ashamed of something.

She ignored his heavy silence and smiled widely. "How do I look?"

He hesitated a brief moment. Rin was looking at him intently, obviously waiting for some sort of approval.

How was she? Much too pretty, furisodes were the worst to enflame imagination, highlighting some of her womanly curves…in an appropriate way…yet…so…wrong… Now he didn't even want more vassals to see her. He could kill them on sight at the first glance toward her direction, at that glance would come quick, he knew.

He closed his eyes briefly. He had to focus. He had to be neutral about it.

"More than appropriate", he replied in an earnest fashion.

"Oh…"

It was her turn to hesitate. She must have sensed something was off about him.

"Thanks! Now, do you think I should wear a bun?", she asked jokingly.

His eyes smiled as he turned on his heel.

"Stop fooling around. Come", he ordered.

She nodded with a grin and followed, apparently unaware of how…_thoughtful_ he was.

They only had a few miles to go before they reached Kachikimaru's residence. Sesshomaru had insisted they do not arrive during the night, the whole point was that none of the vassals were expecting him, Rin understood it was some sort of strategy to make them spill the beans easier. The quest seemed quite easy: put Kachikimaru, Katashi and Lady Kizuisen in the same room and try to find an agreement. She was still amazed Sesshomaru bothered with this sort of diplomacy, but when she asked, Jaken lectured her about how powerful the youkai lord had become by simply renewing relations with his father's vassals. The reconstruction of many destroyed mansions and fortresses from Inu Taisho's era also attracted new vassals, from the South and Central territories: making Sesshomaru's lands even wider. The Western Lands, once a desolate and wild territory, had retrieved its gleam and prestige in a very short time: less than a decade. It was extremely quick progress in demon standards.

When Rin had reminded Jaken how he had mocked her when she had said she wanted to participate to the Western Land's reconstruction, pretending her life span was too short. After some comment about her being an impudent child, the toad received quite a rock behind his head. Rin tried to refrain a smirk as she thought back at how she saw Sesshomaru deliberately chose the sharpest stone he could find as suitable projectile. Some things never change…though, in old days, she had thought Sesshomaru's mistreatment of his servant was only a display of impatience, but now she was convinced there was also a bit of boredom and sadism in his motivations. To her own surprise, she didn't mind it.

She stopped musing about her lord's favourite hobbies when Ah Un stopped. She glanced in front of her and noticed Sesshomaru had Bakusaiga in hand, still as a stone, ready to strike. She instinctively put a hand on her obi, where she hid her dagger. A small wind made a few silver locks fly gracefully in the air. Rin stared. Sesshomaru was by far the most elegant person when confronted to the wind: every breeze a convenient accessory to complement his regal looks.

Rin shivered, her clothes improper for such an unexpected change in the air.

He finally sheated his sword with a frown.

"What is it my lord, the enemies fled?", inquired Jaken.

"Hn…they were far", observed evasively the youkai lord. "Let's go".

"At once!", replied the toad demon.

Ah Un moved on as well, but Sesshomaru didn't move.

He only marched when Ah Un reached him, purposely waiting so he could walk next to his ward, Jaken had taken the lead.

He glanced at Rin with what she thought was curiosity.

"What do you hide under your obi, Rin?", he inquired flatly.

Rin blinked a few times. How could he have noticed?

"It's…it's a dagger…An old habit Kaede taught me: never leave home without a mean of defence", she responded.

"You won't need it", he stated coldly.

Rin glanced at him worriedly. Was he insulted or something?

"Ah…I suppose you are right my lord. But it's still useful for hunting", she observed.

"Hmph…Maybe so, but don't ever think about using it for self defence. You have no chance in these territories, and even less in this area", he retorted flatly.

"You smell enemies, my lord?", she asked.

"Yes…", he replied simply. "Same nomadic tribes as those who attacked us in the ghost town…and those who attacked your village", he stated, examining her reaction.

Rin crossed her arms nervously. "You mean…there are snakes?"

"Yes…They shouldn't be roaming around here. They come from the Central Lands and this is where they should stay", he replied with a slight frown.

"I hope we won't meet them", commented Rin with evident fear.

She could see them again. _Smirks. Acid green eyes, sharp fangs on Kohaku. _

She could hear her own screams…

"Nothing will happen to you", Sesshomaru stated. "Just don't do anything reckless", he instructed.

"Right", she replied. Then something else came to her mind.

"Wait, Sesshomaru-sama", she inquired. "The lady who will be your escort for the wedding…she's from the Central Lands, right?"

Sesshomaru glanced at her with cold impassivity. "Who told you that?"

Rin shrugged. "Does it matter? Everyone talks about it back at the mansion."

"Everyone…Hmph…"

"Is it why you don't like her? She's some vassal from the Central Lands not doing her job?", asked Rin boldly.

She instantly regretted asking that question. She swore she saw daggers in his amber eyes when he stared back at her. She gulped and played with one of her sleeves nervously; the air was so tense she felt like she was smothering.

How she wished they would just arrive already!

"...What else do they say about _her_, Rin?", he asked with a low voice, after a long moment of overpowering silence.

"N-nothing! I mean, not much…Just that…it seems she will be your escort…against your will…", she whispered.

Silence. Again.

"I mean…I understand why you seem so unhappy, my lord. I was angry too when Lady Kagome tried to match me with some boys from the village, I felt betrayed"

Sesshomaru seemed to calm down a bit, Rin found back her ability to breathe.

"She is Lady Amane", he stated blankly. "She is the heiress of the Central Lands…"

Rin's eyes grew wide. "So…she's a princess of some sort?"

"She will take over her father's reign shortly. Some says she has already", he replied coldly.

Rin couldn't believe her ears. A princess! Of course Sesshomaru would be angry: she was an equal to him. He couldn't simply shrug her off, like the average suitor. Rin had heard the Central Lands were very wide, powerful, imperialist, even.

…This meant this whole…escort thing was much more serious than Rin previously thought.

"So…", she started, unsure she should even ask. "If you were to marry her, does that mean the Central and Western Lands would merge?"

"What you talk about is pure fiction", he stated flatly, voluntarily avoiding a direct answer. "She will _never_ be my consort".

"How do you know you will not like her? Lady Amane, heiress of the Central Lands…with such a fancy name, she must be some majestic beauty…"

The youkai decided not to dignify his ward with an answer.

She didn't push him any further. His coldness seemed to hide a hint of bitterness… He truly was hard to decipher, but Rin could easily guess his mind was somewhere dark. She needed to change the subject. But he was ahead of her.

"Lady Kizuisen…is not an ordinary demon. She is actually the reason I need you", admitted Sesshomaru.

"What about her?", inquired Rin curiously.

"She's an illusionist. She has the ability to warp herself, and anyone she fancies. She needs to be busy while I deal with the two others, or we might lose them."

"Oh, a diversion then? Understood!", replied Rin cheerfully. "I can't wait to see what she looks like…"

"Can you keep her occupied, without any risks of interruption?", inquired Sesshomaru.

"Pfff! Piece of cake! I'm unstoppable when I start my chattering", retorted Rin with a grin.

Sesshomaru believed her.

"Hmph…Well, do everything necessary. Lie if you must…", instructed Sesshomaru.

"Should I stay away from the men, my lord?", she inquired with curiosity. "Your mother advised me I shouldn't be around them."

"And why is that?", he asked, bothered by his mother's interference in his own business.

"They can be quite…depraved, apparently", she replied with a blush.

"…Depraved?", He frowned. He realized he didn't know them, he maybe met them once or twice, without any women around…Now this could be a problem, with his finely dressed ward…

"Oh don't worry. If necessary, I can deal with lecherous men…there are many of them at the village", retorted Rin with confidence.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at his ward.

"Be careful around them. If they touch you, they will die.", he stated matter-of-factly.

Rin nodded, but she wasn't sure what to think of this warning. Lady Sasori was right: Sesshomaru was quite an extreme protector. At least she wouldn't have to worry about her own safety.

…

Rin stared at the wide door made of steel. Sesshomaru stood behind her, watching his servant hammer at the door with his staff.

"Open this door at once!", ordered Jaken

Sesshomaru frowned. The pounding on the door was pointless. Was it truly a good idea to bother with such a travel, he wondered? He wasn't going to wait forever to find out.

"Jaken…Step back", he ordered.

It only took him a nonchalant elbow kick for it to open.

"Wow, it looked sturdier than it truly is", commented Rin.

"Lord Sesshomaru's finest abilities saved us again. Let us go…", commented the toad, with pride.

"Not you Jaken. You stay with Ah-Un", retorted the inu-youkai.

"Wh-why?", he asked miserably.

"Rin will take care of the talking…and I don't need anyone to speak for myself", he retorted with a hint of venom in his voice.

Jaken looked baffled. "Right, understood", he said.

"I'm sorry, master Jaken", whispered Rin with an apologetic smile.

As they got inside, the toad huffed and sat under a tree.

At least this time he knew where his lord was…

…

As soon as Rin and Sesshomaru got inside, they heard snoring. Following the sound lead them to the dinning room, where one sluggard, reeking of alcohol, was sleeping.

"He's drunk", commented Rin, matter-of-factly

"Hmph", merely commented Sesshomaru with obvious contempt, while looking at the drunkard.

"Let's go. He is not alone", stated Sesshomaru as he moved on, but after a few steps in the adjacent room, he stopped in his tracks.

"What is it my lord? Can't we go further?", inquired Rin.

"I believe we are…interrupting", merely informed Sesshomaru.

And then she heard it. Muffled noises and some sort of racket. And after a few second…A moan.

Rin blushed. That couldn't be.

So that's what Sesshomaru's mother meant by…"depraved"

"I suppose that must be Lady Kizuisen", commented Rin, unsure how to react.

"Obviously", commented Sesshomaru, with annoyance.

Rin giggled. "Oh Kami, if Lady Kaede were there, she would tell me to cover my ears!"

And then another, powerful moan could be heard. Rin covered her mouth, astounded. If someone ever told her she would end up someday with Sesshomaru hearing quite an explicit demonstration of love, she supposed she would have laughed to no end. But for now that it was actually happening, the embarrassment was extreme.

She glanced at Sesshomaru. He glanced back at her. His amber eyes communicated something in the line of…bloodbath…

"Okay we have to do something", commented Rin thoughtfully.

"You have something else in mind than killing?", asked Sesshomaru icily.

"…Well…I could play dumb", suggested Rin.

"Dumb?", inquired Sesshomaru.

"Yes, dumb. But well…", she paused. "Do you know if they're actually…you know…"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"You have a keen nose, I'm sure you would know", she said with a furious blush.

"Hmph, that no…I believe they are still…_foreplaying_…"

Rin's blush went a shade darker, it was very odd to hear Sesshomaru-sama use this word.

"O-okay, not that bad, then. See how it works…"

Rin boldly approached the room the two persons were obviously in. She took a vase and crashed it quite voluntarily on the floor.

The muffled noises stopped. Footsteps could be heard, and then, someone came out.

A male, Rin noticed. Strong traits, black hair, red eyes. He looked at her with disbelief.

"Oh I'm so sorry", she said naively. "I was searching for the Lady of the House, but I believe I broke something".

"You're a human", the demon stated, staring at her. She thought she saw him glance at her figure, from head to toe. She sincerely hoped Sesshomaru hadn't noticed.

"W-well, yes. I'm Rin", she said, with a beaming smile

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Rin?! Like…Lord Sesshomaru's human ward?"

Then it was Rin's turn to look surprised.

"What, what did you say?", wondered a female voice.

Then Rin saw her: white face, red pulpous lips, a red kimono poorly tied. She smiled widely.

"Oh Kami! I can't believe it! Are you her?!"

"Wha-what?"

"She is my ward", interrupted Sesshomaru with annoyance. How could they just ignore him like that?

The couple looked at Sesshomaru, they hadn't even noticed his presence. The male was suddenly self-conscious, but the woman was oblivious to the fact the most powerful demon of the Western Lands had every reason to accuse her of adultery. She didn't look particularly bright.

"So you really are her! Rin the ward!", wondered the woman.

"What about me?", inquired Rin curiously. "How do you even know my name?"

"You're all the rage over the kingdom. Haven't you heard the song about yourself?"

"What song?", wondered Sesshomaru, frowning.

Kizuisen blushed with a happy smile. "_The Sun of the Western Lands_ that is!"

Rin looked at her, bewildered. A song about her… That was crazy! But she had to play along, they had a job to do.

"Incredible, please talk to me about it", she said with a wide smile.

…

"I'm so sorry we don't have anything fancier, we weren't expecting you", explained the demon woman, cooling off with her fan. Her kimono was sliding down her shoulders all the time.

Rin stared at all the plates of food in front of her. Her mouth watered. She sat at the table. Sesshomaru was standing, his back against the wall, apparently disgusted by everything around him.

"Yes, w-we would never have thought you would have bothered coming around here…You must be busy with your cousin's wedding, Sesshomaru-sama", added the demon from earlier. This one knew something was up.

"The wedding issues concern the Lady of the West, Kachikimaru. I never stop my patrols", he retorted blankly.

"Of course, of course my lord…", he replied, and then he smiled. "Patrols with the human ward, just like in the song".

"I still think that's silly. Why would demons make a song about me?", asked Rin with a shy smile.

"Why you say? Look at yourself. You are quite the catch", added Lady Kizuisen with a wink.

"Yes quite the catch", insisted Kachikimaru, while staring.

"So what is happening around here?", asked a third voice.

"Katashi my love, there you are!", said Lady Kizuisen as she threw herself in the arms of the newcomer and kissed him passionately.

The other vassal just disappeared from the room. Rin supposed he was upset.

Rin was not very at ease…too many display of affections in that house, was it some kind of brothel? It was quite a change from her life at the village: Kaede didn't even want her to participate to Lady Kagome and Lady Sango women talks, arguing she wasn't ready for this.

When Kaede wasn't around, Rin did have a couple of interesting talks with Kagome, but still…

Sesshomaru was impassive. He glanced at her, apparently curious of her reaction. He approached the table and sat next to her.

"Change of plans", he said in a low voice.

"What is it my lord?", she asked.

"Something's wrong about Kizuisen"

"Well, she behaves like a…", started Rin.

"Yes", he cut her off. "Much more than usual, and she is oblivious to danger. I heard many things about her, but nothing about incredible imbecility…", the youkai lord said , frowning.

"So what is it, then?"

"I think she is possessed."

"She doesn't look very dangerous to me", Rin whispered.

"Not all possession spells make demons go berserk. Actually, more subtle tricks are harder to detect. It could be part of a ruse", he observed.

"So what do we do?"

"As much as I hate it, the men can be a problem. Distract them while I take care of her", he said.

"Right", she whispered. She finally stopped resisting and took some of the meat and rice in front of her.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you", he said, frowning at the food.

"Why? Is it poisoned?", wondered Rin, with worry.

"No…just…filthy", he retorted, with obvious disdain.

"But it looks good", protested Rin. She was so…hungry. She wasn't used to eat only from the forest anymore.

"The stench is sickening", he insisted, his frown growing deeper.

"I think it smells good", replied Rin. "If it's not poisoned, I will try it"

"You will regret", warned Sesshomaru.

She took a bite. "Meh, it's not bad", she retorted. "Not very fresh but…I don't think I'll be sick. I ate much worse in my life", she said.

Sesshomaru displayed the highest level of disgust in his emotional range. Rin smirked.

"Oh my…Sesshomaru-sama…I can't believe I never realized before…"

"What?"

"You are such a picky eater!", she whispered, with playfulness.

"What are you talking about?", he asked coldly.

Rin laughed. "Oh it all makes sense now. Of course you would be. The "I don't eat human food" thing, or anything else, for that matter. That would also explain why all the food at your mansion tastes like heaven. You wouldn't take it any other way…"

He raised an eyebrow, not really comprehending why she was mocking him so.

"I'm not…whatever you say I am", he retorted blankly. He didn't even understand why he felt the need the reply to that, but he did anyway.

"Of course you are", she teased. "You know, many children are picky eaters too"

He threw her an annoyed glance. "You have no sense of taste", he retorted, dryly.

"Oh Sesshomaru-sama, don't take it badly, I wouldn't tease if I didn't like you", she said in a cheerful manner, patting his shoulder.

He wondered just when she started to act so familiar around him.

"My greetings Sesshomaru-sama", said Katashi, the sleeping drunkard from earlier.

Sesshomaru refrained from scrunching his nose. His stench was even worse than the food. He was seriously starting to think he should have listened to his mother for once…just kill them to get this over with.

"Greetings, Katashi-sama", Rin said with a smile. "I am Rin"

"My wife told me", he said with a smirk. "Even prettier than in the song"

"Oh please", said Rin with a blush.

"Oh she is, really", added Kachikimaru, who had just reappeared. Lady Kizuisen was apparently preparing other foods in the adjacent room. Sesshomaru thought about sneaking out and get this over with, but before he could get away…

"Sesshomaru-sama, you have to tell us where you picked your delicious-looking human _ward_", added Katashi, licking his lips.

"Yes, if I found one half as pretty as her, I would be pleased", commented Kachikimaru.

Sesshomaru stared at them silently, hostility all over his features. Rin gulped. The bloody rampage was close.

"I bet she is so soft…much more submissive than the average demon courtesan", added one of them, oblivious to the danger.

Rin refrained a gasp. Sex slave, that's what they thought she was… It was sickening, but she supposed it was only to be expected from these depraved men. Rin and Sesshomaru exchanged a sideway glance.

Rin was shocked when she realized he wasn't going to refute. In fact, he didn't seem inclined to say anything…his stare apparently signifying something in the lines of " Hmph. Do what you want, I will not get involved with this nonsense".

Or at least, this is what she thought he wanted to say…

She decided to do something she might regret later on. Sesshomaru will be mad…But he wanted an effective diversion after all…

"Oh, you should stop that. Sesshomaru-sama is not very…talkative about this", said Rin with a blush.

"About what?", asked Katashi, intrigued.

"Well…you know…", she whispered mysteriously. "The…_flesh_ topic…"

She felt Sesshomaru's eyes pierce through her, not even hiding trying how dumbfounded he was. He wasn't expecting she would actually play along, she knew. But she decided to ignore him.

"Oh so your _ward_ thing really is a nickname for…what you do, right?"

Both men were looking at her, like every word coming out of her mouth were the seventh wonder of the world.

Rin tried not to stare directly at the two men. They were much worse than Miroku or even Tenmaru: they disgusted her.

Then she noticed Sesshomaru was gone. She needed to keep going, and it will be much easier without his judging glare. She smirked.

"What do you think we do?", she asked in a suggestive whisper.

"Oh my…Lady Rin, don't just tease our imagination like this, tell us everything!", implored Katashi.

Then Rin realized she had no idea what she was going to say. She was a virgin: she couldn't invent about…_stuff_ she knew nothing about.

Then she had the idea to replicate the content of a conversation she heard between Kagome and Sango that she wasn't supposed to hear and hope for the best.

"Oh…well, you know, Sesshomaru-sama is quite the _roisterer_. He likes it rough, sometimes I have to hide my bruises and all", she said, with fake shame.

She sincerely hoped he couldn't hear or he was going to exile her from the Western Lands forever.

"Ohhh!", exclaimed both men at once.

"And it's a complete frenzy during the full moon", Rin added, with an exasperated sign. "It's like his beast side is always stronger at that moment of the month…It is hard to bear for my weak human body…"

And then she heard a high-pitched scream. She saw both men suddenly notice the Lord was gone, and run in the other room: freed from her mental grip. A sigh escaped Rin's lips as she buried her face in her hands: so happy she was relieved of that terrible improvisation.

…

Sesshomaru left the room in haste. Rin's strategy, however doubtful, was very effective. He supposed this was the best thing she could come out with…for these two horrible demons. Why did he bother sparring their lives in the first place, he wondered? He moved swiftly in the kitchen, he needed to be quick, or things with Rin could get out of hand. She was playing with fire with the two others.

Sesshomaru stared at the lone woman who was trying to remove the folds on her kimono. Pointless effort: her overall appearance was terrible.

As soon as she noticed his presence, a devious smirk could be seen on her feature.

"Lord Sesshomaru…What are you doing here?", she asked playfully.

He didn't move. She was walking slowly in his direction, apparently trying to strut for him. He tried not to look disgusted.

It took him only a few seconds to spot the charm, on a chain, hidden under her clothes…when her kimono wasn't falling off, that is.

As soon as she got in reach, he pulled at the necklace, breaking the hued pendant in his palm. A high-pitched scream erupted from her body, and she fell on the ground, apparently unconscious. Now that was quite easy…

The youkai stared absently at the broken jewel, as his two vassals entered the room, followed shortly by his ward.

"Sesshomaru-sama, what happened? What did you do to my wife?!", asked Katashi with worry.

"I saved her", he retorted with contempt.

"Oh Kami! Thank you! Thank you so much Sesshomaru-sama!", exclaimed Kachikimaru with relief. "I just knew something was wrong with her!"

"What do you mean?", Katashi asked, not comprehending what was happening.

Then the demon woman awoke. She looked confused.

"Wh-where am I?", she wondered.

Rin gasped. Her voice was soft and almost…shy?

"Kizuisen, my love! How are you?", inquired Katashi.

She pushed him back with disgust, and then looked equally repulsed at her own appearance.

"What's wrong, mate?", Katashi tried again.

Kizuisen glared at him "I am not yours, you idiot!"

Rin glanced at Sesshomaru. He was actually right all along.

The poor woman wasn't herself. She didn't even care about the Katashi man.

Someone, somewhere, had tricked them three.

…

"This is incredible", wondered Rin out loud. "I feel so bad for Lady Kizuisen"

"She was idiot in the first place to accept this charm from a stranger", Jaken retorted with a huff. "A love charm…I haven't heard of this often. But I suppose whoever did this knew this was the smartest strategy for such a…not so honorable woman", he wondered out loud. "She certainly caused a lot of trouble…"

Sesshomaru walked in front of them. He was so glad they were out of this filthy place. He did have some marital issues to solve, though: the woman had begged her engagement to the drunkard be revoked so she could go back with her first betrothed. And the drunkard wished to have a new wife: now that was a problem…

At least the misunderstanding between the two vassals was solved. Kachikimaru, who knew something was wrong, was apparently constantly watching on Kizuisen, and doing _other things_...quite obviously. Katashi, so upset his new wife spent her time fanning over every men around, drank like no other. Which explains –apparently– why both hadn't been doing their job properly.

Of course, knowing soft methods weren't going to help him maintain authority, Sesshomaru ordered them to get rid of the intruders on the eastern part of his lands by the next full moon, or else he swore to kill them both. Now that should do.

Rin told the vassals she was in fact an actress back at her village, and everything she said about a crazy affair with her lord was false, and was just a ruse to let the Lord examine Lady Kizuisen. They looked a bit disappointed when they heard, but Sesshomaru was glad Rin had the thoughtfulness to erase whatever she had filled their imagination with. He stared back at his ward, who was on Ah Un, deep in thoughts.

"Is it true?", he asked.

"What?"

"That you are an actress", he asked.

"Absolutely not. I just wanted to make my show a little more acceptable", she explained with a blush. "I hope I haven't troubled you too much with my stories"

"Hmph", he retorted, not prone to collaboration.

"I'm sorry my lord, but they had already insinuated a few things. I knew they would listen to everything I would say if I pretended I was your…well"

"Yes of course", he cut her off, not wanting to hear it out loud. "This was already something they were inclined to believe in", he reasoned. "But I found you were very skilful on the subject…"

Rin blushed. Yup…he heard everything…

"Oh I just repeated what…some human in the village said about her boyfriend"

She wasn't going to say it was about Kagome's bed troubles with Inu-Yasha. She was afraid Sesshomaru wouldn't survive the day if he heard it.

"So it was not based on passed experiences…", he asked, before he could take it back.

"Absolutely not, my lord", she said with a blush. "I-I…quite frankly I hesitated with these two earlier. It was a chance I remembered the anecdote, or else I wouldn't have known what to say…"

Sesshomaru discreetly frowned. He had some difficulty believing everything she just said, he always thought she would be a bad liar, but she had proven today she was able to wear quite a mask, when necessary.

Then his thoughts went back to her explanation of her relationship with her betrothed. Was she really that innocent? Or did she fool around with the Kohaku boy?

But of course he would never press on such a personal topic. It wasn't his business anyway.

In fact, he shouldn't even be thinking about this.

"So…you aren't angry with me, Sesshomaru-sama?", she inquired with embarrassment.

"Why should I be?", he asked evasively.

"Well…my foul talk…", she answered, shyly.

"I can deal with it", he answered. "But what I couldn't deal with is… you lying to me", he admitted. "You wouldn't do that, don't you?"

Rin's eyes went wide. "Oh Kami…I don't lie to you, Sesshomaru-sama! Never!", she exclaimed.

"Never?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I swear! Well I might…omit things, once in while…but I would never be dishonest to you", she replied. She looked a bit hurt.

Omit things…he did that too. All the time. He supposed he should let her be. Her explanation was satisfying enough.

Nothing was said for a while. The way back, was again, very quiet, too quiet…

Then Rin got impatient.

"Master Jaken", she asked. "Do you know how much time we have left before we get back?"

"At least half a day, Rin. Don't you remember the time it took on our way up here?", he asked impatiently.

"Oh well…I just wanted to know if I will make it on time for my dance lesson with Tenmaru"

She swore she saw Sesshomaru glance at her.

"W…what? Why are you wasting your time with Sesshomaru's vassal? I am sure the Lord is greatly displeased", retorted Jaken, but he deeply regretted after he saw Sesshomaru's glare. He had forgotten –again– about his master's hatred of speaking in his name.

"Well, Tenmaru can be a gentleman. He needs a female to help him during the dancing lessons, but it helps me too. I will be ready for the celebrations", explained Rin, matter-of-factly.

"What, you think a human like you will attract so much attention at a demon's wedding?", retorted Jaken.

Then Jaken received a rock, but Rin didn't pay attention to the new display of violence.

"Well actually, I learned people tend to ask in advance when they really want to dance with someone…I received a couple of requests already", she said with a beaming smile. "It seems I will be quite busy even though I do not have an escort for the night"

"I suppose it is to be expected from the Sun of the Western Lands", commented Sesshomaru, with an indecipherable expression.

Rin smiled shyly. "Well…since you so insisted on the importance of me being honest with you, my lord, I shall be direct…"

He raised an eyebrow. She looked at him with scared eyes and a huge blush. What was she going to ask?

He wondered briefly if it was even something Jaken should hear.

"Will you dance with me, Sesshomaru-sama?", she asked, with a pleading tone.

He didn't answer. In fact, he looked at her seemingly thoughtfully for a while, before he stared back at the horizon and bothered with an answer.

"You are aware I am accompanied. I have obligations", he stated.

Rin's shoulders fell.

"…But I suppose I can grant you the last dance of the night", he replied, with a bit of a softer stare.

She grinned widely.

"Oh really? This is so nice! Thank you so much, Sesshomaru-sama!"

He nodded, but frowned as a brisk wind blew on them. He suddenly noticed a new smell.

…Finally there they were…

"Rin. Jaken."

"What is it, my lord?", inquired the servant.

"Hide."

A mere second after the order had escaped his mouth, a huge flying demon fell on them, trying to catch a prey with its sharp claws. Sesshomaru pushed it away with a blow, while Jaken took Ah Un and left the path to hide. Rin went in the opposite direction and crouched in the forest, dagger in hand.

The bird demon tried to strike back, but Sesshomaru destroyed it with a single blow, leaving crimson all over. It was not long before many other demons of all sorts rushed on him, doing everything they could to slay the Lord of the West. It was pointless, considering he could predict all their attempts of slicing, biting, or kicking, killing many with one swift movement of his sword, or his claws.

Then she saw them.

A pack of snake demons.

_Acid green eyes._

_Evil smirks_

_Her own screams._

She tried not to think of it, but it was overpowering her, like a wave of pain flowing viciously for so long it engulfed her without any possibility to escape.

"_Rin! Look out!", shouted Kohaku._

_But before she could act, he pushed her on the ground, protecting her from the snake who just tried to snap its fangs on her tender flesh._

"_Kohaku!"_

"_Hide!", he ordered._

_She stepped back and hid behind a rock, watching as the demon slayer tried to take out two of them at once. With one precise throw of his weapon, he pierced one in its huge body. Kohaku pulled on the chain and struck back._

Rin shook her head. No…she couldn't remember…not now…this wasn't the time.

There would never be a good time…

The sky was darkening. She glanced at the clouds and saw a lightning bolt. She gasped. Again…Why so many storms?

One bestial scream brought her back to the fight. Sesshomaru had just stabbed one of the snake with his blade. As the beast yelled in agony, he pulled back, purposely slicing its body in two in the process, but the inuyoukai was already glancing at another foe. Rin's eyes widened, the bloody view so familiar.

_Kohaku's weapon hit the target again, but this time the pointy end of his weapon struck the side of the beast's body. He pulled violently and sliced the beast in two, but he was already looking at the other snake. He stared at it with contempt as he ran in its direction. Rin swore she saw the beast smirk. _

_Kohaku swung his weapon and struck the snake, but this time, the scales were too thick: he was unable to pull it back. _

"_KOHAKU, LOOK OUT!", she screamed in terror._

_Just as he dislodged his weapon, the black beast caught Kohaku with its huge tail and lifted him from earth, strangling him. _

_Rin screamed._

Sesshomaru swung Bakusaiga in an attempt to slice the other foe in two, but the sword struck dark sturdy scales. The inuyoukai frowned and took a step back. The snake launched itself on him, its huge fangs ready to pierce him through. Sesshomaru avoided it with ease, jumping to the left side of the reptile. But he hadn't predicted the beast would catch him with its tail, enrolling itself around his upper arm. He was trapped.

Then he spotted a space between two scales in the beast's back. He took his sword from his trapped arm and struck at the weakness.

The beast screamed.

Rin gasped. No…not again…

_Kohaku struggled against the beast, unable to breathe. He tried to punch, kick, nothing was working, the scales were too hard. _

"_Kohaku, no", whispered Rin, with panic. She had to do something. She took her dagger and ran in the beast's direction._

"_NO RIN! STAY AWAY!", he screamed, visibly angry, even though he could barely talk, his lips already bluish._

_Rin didn't listen. She ran and picked Kohaku's weapon, on the grass. The beast didn't seem to like it, following the girl with its eyes. _

_She stared at the snake with her hazel eyes full of hatred. She had spotted its weakness. The beast smirked again and launched itself on her, still holding Kohaku. Rin jumped and only just avoided the monster. She stabbed the beast between two scales; it screamed and let Kohaku go. _

_She threw him his weapon: Kohaku caught it and nodded: silently thanking her. The beast tried again to strike at her with its fang. She avoided it, but it was so close the beast succeeded scratching one of her feet. Rin hissed and fell on the grass, watching the beast in horror._

_Kohaku threw his weapon at the biggest slit he could find between the beast scales: in its back. The beast screamed and fell roughly on the ground, agonizing. Kohaku looked back at Rin and saw that she was bleeding. He ran in her direction, already ripping one of his sleeves to assist her. _

"_Rin are you okay?", he asked softly. He glanced back at the beast, with a hard look, the thing wasn't dead._

"_Kohaku…", Rin whispered, "we have to leave." _

"_I know", he said. He picked her up bridal style and ran. As he was getting away, the agonizing beast followed them. Rin screamed._

_Kohaku glanced behind his shoulder and gasped. Rin saw the snake strike. Kohaku jumped and they both fell on the ground. When Rin opened her eyes, she noticed Inu-Yasha was blocking the beast with Tessaiga. Relieved, she glanced at Kohaku. He smiled at her. She smiled back._

_But then she felt a shadow loom over them. She glanced up and screamed again. Kohaku grabbed her dagger and pushed her away._

The beast let Sesshomaru's arm go and fell limply on the ground. The inuyoukai looked at it with contempt and looked back in Rin's direction. He had heard her scream. He noticed how terrified she was.

"Rin…"

"Sesshomaru-sama…there are others, there must be", she said with a trembling voice.

"I know", he said simply. Then he looked up, as did Rin. She gasped as she saw another monster looming over him.

A terrible shadow, bringing an omen she'd rather forget.

Not only that, but there was also the other one, with the hard scales creeping behind him.

No…she couldn't let this happen all over again.

As Sesshomaru's sword clashed against the fangs of the beast over him, Rin ran, as fast as she could, in the direction of the other snake, dagger in hand.

_Kohaku barely had the time to block the fangs with the dagger, but the weapon was too small, and the beast was too strong._

_Rin screamed in gloom and dismay, as she saw him be pierced through and through by the deadly fangs, there was blood everywhere, on her face, on her clothes._

Rin shook her head. She raised her dagger, and the beast launched itself on her. But before they could collide, she saw a flash of white appear in front of her. Sesshomaru struck the beast with his blade, effectively piercing through its head. Rin sighed in relief, but as she thought they were safe, she saw Sesshomaru's amber eyes widen. He wrapped his arms around her and they both fell on the ground.

Rin screamed as she saw fangs pierce all over again, blood on her clothes…His blood…His face was so close, the pain was all over it.

_Kohaku succeeded piercing the beast through its mouth, killing it. He pushed it back, and stood up._

_Rin ran to him. He was covered in his own blood, his face was white._

"_KOHAKUUU!", she screamed, tears in her eyes. He smiled lightly._

"_Kohaku! Stop moving"_

_He didn't listen and kissed her fully on the lips. For a very small moment, she forgot about his terrible state and kissed him back, tears flowing on her cheeks._

_She loved him. She loved him so much!_

_She couldn't lose him._

_He broke the embrace and fell on the grass, empty smile on his lips. She fell on her knees, next to him, her eyes watering more._

"_Kohaku…please…don't go", she begged._

"_I l-love y-you", he whispered. _

_Then the light left his eyes forever._

_Rin fell on his body, screaming at him to wake up. And she screamed more, and cried._

_And it was all over. _

Rin felt tears in her eyes as she saw Sesshomaru swiftly roll on his back and succeeded slicing the last lizard's head, which fell lifelessly on the ground. He stood up and sheated his sword. Rin saw more blood fall on the ground. Sesshomaru noticed and held his arm, briefly staring at all the red soiling his sleeve.

"Sesshomaru-sama. No!", she exclaimed as she stood up.

He stared back at her with a cold gaze.

"My lord, p-please sit down. Please don't…"

"Are you out of your mind?!", he asked harshly, his amber eyes now expressing freezing fury.

She stopped in her track, crying, confused.

"Wh-what?"

"My lord, you are injured!", exclaimed Jaken, effectively cutting her off. "It is because of Rin's recklessness!"

"Why don't you take the lead Jaken? We will catch up", asked Sesshomaru.

"B-but…"

"Stop stammering. Leave us.", he ordered, imperiously, violence creeping in a hoarse tone.

Scared, Jaken just nodded and ran.

Sesshomaru looked back at Rin, anger clearly visible. Rin was pale, trembling. Rain started to fall, but there was no violence left in the sky. Only sorrow, like in her heart.

She stared at his angry eyes, at his bloody shoulder, and then back up at the biting cold amber.

"Why did you do this?", he inquired, in a low voice. "Why did you get involved in this fight?"

She looked at him, sad and confused. "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru-sama…"

"You could have gotten yourself killed!", he shot back, jaw tense, frowning.

"B-but my lord! I-I…You're the one bleeding right now", she cried.

He approached her and raised his bloody sleeve. She gasped as she saw two holes on his upper arm.

"Sesshomaru-sama, no! There must be poison, we must…"

"Stop it", he snapped, impatient. "The wound is not even bleeding anymore. I am a demon: I heal, almost instantly. I can resist poison. You don't. Do you have any idea in what state you would be in if the snake would have bitten you instead?"

Rin looked at him, unable to answer.

"You would be bleeding badly. You would be poisoned. You would be on the verge of death, Rin…"

"I understand. I'm so sorry…", she whispered, a few tears falling.

"No you don't understand. I can't lose you another time. Do you hear me?", he snapped.

"You think you are the only one who should feel concerned?", she asked hotly. "I got involved because you didn't see that the one with the black scales was still alive. It was just like when Kohaku died…all over again…one sneaky snake backstabbing…"

"You think I didn't sense it?", he inquired, visibly insulted.

"I had no way to know! But I couldn't just stay there when you could have died!", she replied, upset.

"Why not?"

"Because I already lost my lover, my caretaker and you're the most important person I have left!", she retorted, lips quivering.

That struck him like an arrow, yet anger was still boiling.

"You think I can't take care of myself?", he retorted.

Rin frowned. He was so stubborn, he didn't understand at all.

"I know you are powerful, my lord. I know you are many times stronger than Kohaku. Still…confidence makes us cocky, and bad things can happen. Back at the village…it was so quiet for so many years after Naraku's death. We were overconfident. We were careless. We thought ourselves invincible, because we hadn't met stronger foe than us yet, we thought we had our entire lives in front of us. And look what happened…What…what if…the same thing happens to you?", she asked, now weeping heavily.

Sesshomaru stared at her silently, thoughtful.

He refrained a sigh, he wasn't angry anymore, he even felt bad for scolding her, now.

She wasn't underestimating him, like he previously thought. She had been reckless because of her own insecurities. She hadn't even considered the odds of him losing, before throwing herself into the battle. Her previous experience had apparently shaken her so much she saw no other option than acting boldly.

He tried to find the right words.

"Rin…"

He looked at her cry for a while. She fell to her knees. He felt guilty.

"You need to understand…what happened to the demon slayer, won't happen to me."

"How do you know?"

"This is mere logic. I know I can die in battle. However, fighting is not a just an occupation, it's in my blood: the enemy would require extreme power to compromise my chances of survival. The odds of you dying are many times higher. It is fruitless and dangerous to jeopardize your life like this…"

She stared at him, despair in her hazel eyes. "I'm sorry my lord…it's just that… You always pull me out of danger. You even try to ease my grief. I owe you everything…I know that probably won't happen but…if I you die…I am lost."

"Don't say that", he warned.

"I am sorry, but this is how I feel…", she said, while looking down at her own reflection in a puddle of water. He hair was messy, and her make up all over her face, stains of black under her red eyes. She looked terrible, now.

He kneeled in front of her. She felt a hand touch delicately her chin, to force her to look at him in the eyes…At least the anger was gone.

"I know you suffer. I hear you cry at night…", he started, with a piercing stare.

She gasped.

"I am your protector. I take the blows for you. You should just… find a way to let go of your past", he whispered.

She nodded, wiped her tears, tried to clean up her face, and control her sobs. "Right…Right…You are entirely right", she whispered, with a trembling tone.

She had to let go, of Kohaku, Kaede…of the past. They were gone forever, and there was nothing she could do. She couldn't be bold, risking her own life because of her fears and dark memories. Her caretaker and her lover would never have wanted to see her behave like this…

Sesshomaru…he had been a fragment of her past…for a long time. In the end, she almost completely let him go. But now he was there, he was her present. She hadn't realized at first…but he truly had reappeared at the moment she needed him the most…

She remembered when Kohaku died: she realized how much she loved him only then.

And now…in a matter of weeks, it was Sesshomaru who had become the center of her universe all over again… She realized how much she needed him.

She looked up and smiled weakly. She needed him so much!

She threw herself in his arms and held him tight, mindful of his cold armor, but she buried her face against his warm shoulder anyway.

"Rin…", he said, confused. He was a bit tense, not sure how to react.

"Sesshomaru-sama. Promise me something…", she murmured, still holding him. "Don't ever let me go."

His eyes softened at her request. He wrapped an arm around her.

"Don't be silly. You know I won't", he whispered in her ear.

…End of chapter…

Yup…lots of emotions in that chapter…but don't ask me what inspired the weird part with the perverted vassals, I have no clue! I thought about deleting it, but I thought it didn't come out so bad in the end, and Sesshomaru's reactions were just too entertaining to write.

Some intense fluff next chapter ;) !


	7. Silent Confessions (part 1)

A/N: That chapter was just a big monster, so I had to split it.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed until now, your encouragements are more important than you think!

I am very excited about this chapter, I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it…even though the best is yet to come!

Let the fun begin ;)

Chapter 7 : Silent Confessions (part 1)

A wave of gasps was heard, as the Lord of the Western Lands, his loyal servant and ward entered the mansion. Rin figured everyone must think they looked ghastly: with all the rain, mud and blood. She didn't dare move too quickly, to make sure she wouldn't soil anything with her dirty clothes…that had been so pretty just a day before…

After barely a minute, the Lady of the West showed up: her lips a thin line, while staring at her son.

"Sesshomaru", she started, severely, in a contrast with her typical casualness. "You are bloody", she observed.

Then she glanced at Rin. "You too. Are you alright, dear? Do you need healing assistance?"

"Oh, I'm okay Sasori-sama. I'm not injured", she whispered.

"You bled on her then", she said, as she stared back at her son, almost a reproach. "Tell my Sesshomaru, what happened?"

If she wouldn't know better, Rin would have sworn she heard worry in the Lady Mother's voice.

"Not much", retorted the lord with impassiveness. "A mere absent-mindedness. The culprit is dead."

Sasori scoffed. "Just like your father aren't you? A monster almost ate your entire arm but everything's fine?"

"Do I sense concern, mother?", Sesshomaru, asked with barely hidden mockery. "Do not trouble yourself, you will hear the entire story. The council shall be summoned at once."

"And why is that?", she asked.

"Security issues. Worse than expected", he announced.

Sasori nodded. "I see…I shall gather them. We will meet in an hour."

As she left, Rin nodded politely to her Lord, in expectation to have the permission to retire for the day, but his thoughtful glance told her otherwise.

"What is it my lord?", she asked, determined to break the silence.

"The black scaled demons attacked your village, is that correct?"

"Yes. It's one of them who killed Kohaku", answered Rin, staring down.

She felt a hand grab her chin to make her meet his powerful stare.

"I think the council would like to hear details about what happened, when your village got attacked." He paused a moment, before continuing. "Can you bear it, Rin?", he asked, neutrally, yet with a dash of concern.

How was it possible to refuse such a request, with the kindness he expressed? Rin simply nodded.

"Hm. You shall attend as well, then."

…

The room was deadly silent, as Rin got in, cleaned up and with some simple lilac garbs. She could hear the heavy rain pour on the wide windows of the study. Unlike the meetings about weddings, all faces were stern.

Rin sat at the only place left; aside what she assumed was Sesshomaru's seat, at the far end of the table. Based on what Sasori had told her about his meetings, she supposed most vassals might not be seeking his proximity, but Rin was in fact very glad to be there.

Then he got in, silent, yet very noticed. He had traded his bloody attire for some black clothing. Rin tried not to stare, but she always thought he was even more handsome when dressed in dark colours.

Everyone, except the Lady Mother, stood up and bowed. Rin wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, so she went for small bow.

He walked slowly to his seat. Only when did he sit down, everyone followed. Then he stared at papers in front of him for a while, apparently concentrated. Rin thought the silence was somewhat amusing, but didn't dare let it show.

"Tatsumaki", he finally stated, looking at the red-eyed vassal. She frowned.

"Yes, my lord", she replied blankly.

"I received reports of valiant patrols on your fief."

"Yes…", she said, unsure.

Rin thought the woman who was so mean to her the week before suddenly looked very quiet, when addressed by her lord.

"Can you explain, then, why we have encountered a dozens of demons from the Central Heartlands while marching on your territory?", he inquired, icy.

She looked aghast. "I-I…I don't know. It was all clear last time I checked in!"

"Which was?"

"Two days ago…"

"…They must have moved pretty quickly then, being able to march from the Central Lands to the limits of your stronghold on such a short notice?", he asked, even icier, if that was possible.

Rin started to understand why everyone was so uptight.

"Well, Katashi's lands were unprotected, that must be why they've reached…"

"They weren't even close to Katashi's stronghold, I was talking of the limits between your territories, and _my_ domain, we were barely half a day from here", he retorted, iciness meeting impatience.

"But, they clearly penetrated the Western Land's from Katashi's or Kachikimaru's fiefs", she said, defensively.

"I was indeed expecting enemies on their territories, but they only showed themselves when we were deep inside the Lands. Which means, you didn't insure impenetrability of the territory you must protect".

"This is some weak defence Tatsumaki. Coming from you especially, that is a disappointment. Your stronghold is very strategically situated next to our domain. You failed at your duties", Sesshomaru's mother insisted, narrowing her eyes.

The vassal looked petrified for a moment, before speaking up.

"I apologize my lord…my lady", she said finally. "If I may be excused, I will attend to this urgency immediately"

"You may", answered Sesshomaru who had switched from icy to usual coldness.

The vassal demoness nodded and left the room, swift as the wind, without saying a word. Rin did think she had a talent to leave meetings quickly.

"If I may be so bold, can we know exactly what happened?", inquired Kireru, the fox demon.

"A bunch of weak foes attacked Lord Sesshomaru, however, some of them were appalling snakes demons, with scales as hard as stones!", told Jaken, gesticulating wildly.

"Snake demons made you bleed so? They must have been bigger than their usual counterparts", observed Sasori, narrowing her eyes.

"They were indeed", replied Sesshomaru, matter-of-factly.

"I bet their poison was something. You must have been dizzy for a while", she added with a scoff.

Rin gasped. Sesshomaru decided not to answer that.

"They can be stricken between their scales, however, these injuries aren't lethal to them…One of them tricked me", added Sesshomaru.

"B-but my lord, you didn…", added Jaken, incredulous.

"These nuisances can however be killed by stabbing them into their mouth. And this is all there is to say about it", finished Sesshomaru, dryly, shooting a glare at his servant.

Rin stared at the floor. Sesshomaru just pretended he hadn't sensed the agonizing snake demon in front of everyone, which was untrue. He got injured because of her carelessness…Why did he cover her like this?

He also never mentioned anything to her about the fact that the poison must have affected him, he just said he had some resistance to poison…

"Tatsumaki should have been informed of this precious piece of information, Lord Sesshomaru", commented the baron Hatsuno.

Sesshomaru smirked. "I'm confident she will find on her own. May it serve as an example: anyone who fails to inform me appropriately about their patrols will be treated accordingly."

"I suppose we should all reinforce patrols around our territories, then", asked the baron defensively.

"If you have reasons to think you also fail at your tasks, then you shall consider this an utmost priority", Sesshomaru retorted dryly.

"Well I've never heard of stony snakes before. Where are these scumbags coming from?", asked Tenmaru.

"Do I need to answer that?", Sesshomaru shot back with annoyance.

"Again? Well…I trust you will have nice discussions with your date next week", replied Tenmaru with a smirk. Sasori glared at him.

"Hmph", was the lord's only answer.

"Was this an isolated incidents, or you have reasons to think there could more of these invaders, my lord?", inquired Kireru.

"I don't think there are other snakes of the sort on the Western Lands. But I sure know they've been to some humans villages to the south."

"Do we know how many?", asked the fox.

"I have no detailed reports yet, some of them attacked my ward's village", replied Sesshomaru, glancing at Rin.

"The snakes demons who killed your boyfriend? They were made of stone too?", inquired Lady Sasori.

Rin felt a lump in her throat. She didn't like how Sasori brought this up so casually. "Yes…they…killed a few people, but they were many types of…demons…"

"How many casualties?", inquired Sesshomaru.

"15 deaths, around 30 were injured, I think", answered Rin.

"Well, that's a lot, but…at least it wasn't an annihilation", observed Kireru.

"That's a lot of casualties for _this_ village", observed Sesshomaru, coldly.

"Oh right, that is where your…well…", the fox added, stopping mid-sentence.

"Where Sesshomaru's half breed brother lives, you can say it, Kireru", added Sasori with a sly smile.

"What did the others demons look like, Rin?", inquired Sesshomaru, who didn't want to linger on anything regarding Inu-Yasha.

"I…I'm not sure, some furry beasts, with huge claws, some others had cloaks and bows: it's one of those who killed Kaede-sama. The arrow was poisonous."

"I believe the ones with the bows are nomads from the Central Lands too", observed Kireru, with a frown. "Do we have any news from the East?", he asked suddenly.

Sesshomaru shot him an indecipherable gaze. "Not since the last time you asked."

There was a long silence. Rin supposed there were many things left unsaid in that pause.

"On my way to Rin's village a few weeks back, I noticed two other villages were raided, but I do not know how this happened", added Sesshomaru. "Those were close to the Western Lands. "I suppose we can suspect tribes from the Heartlands again..."

"Yes, I heard of them. The On'man and On'kura twin villages. Should we investigate?", asked Kireru.

"No, I expect detailed reports soon", answered the youkai lord. "However, you shall all strengthen your defences on the short term. I expect any other attacks to be instantly reported"

The vassals nodded.

"You are dismissed", stated Sesshomaru nonchalantly.

Rin stood up with a frown and walked slowly towards the exit.

"Wait a second, little Rin", said Sasori.

"What is it?", she inquired.

"Oh, don't look so troubled. I am sure your human friends are fine. The herons brought us mail for you again this morning", informed Sasori.

"Oh…really? Already?", inquired Rin. She had written to her friends before leaving for the patrol with Sesshomaru, she was surprised she received answers this quick. She glanced at the envelope and saw her name, with a little heart next to it.

That was Kagome. Only Kagome draw corny things like that.

Rin thanked the lady of the West, and so intrigued she was, she opened the envelope instantly.

_Dear Rin,_

_It's nice to have news of you so quickly. I'm glad you liked our little gift!_

_You look good, I'm so happy! It sure looks comfy on the Western Land's! Nancy dresses, nice food, you're not greedy like Inu-Yasha, if you mention all this stuff, it must be that it's real paradise! And the wedding looks exciting, I wish I could see this: a demon marriage: you will have to tell me everything about it! _

_On another note, I'm not very surprised you made friends already: you are such a sweetie, of course you make everyone's heart melt, demons included!_

_Speaking of cold-hearted demons, I'm so happy Sesshomaru treats you well. Inu-Yasha was convinced your travel would turn to a disaster! Rest assured, I haven't told him the details, but I made sure to inform him his half-brother behave like a real gentleman. I mean…really…you ate in his chambers? You played hide-and-seek WITH HIM in his gardens? And I find hard to imagine he truly left his seat among his vassals to come next you at an official classy dinner, only for small talk… that is so unlike the Sesshomaru we know! You make me see him under a new light. He must really care a lot for you, I mean…I knew he cared for you, but I never thought he could be so demonstrative…But yeah, for some reason, I knew he was just a big softie…like his brother!_

_From the looks of it, it sure looks like you two get along…very well…Do you have old crushes resurfacing sweetheart? I bet there are sparkles in your eyes all the time with __your dear__ Sesshomaru-sama so close to you. Oh I can already see you blush, Rinie, even though you are far, but you shouldn't. It's useless to deny: I know you, and I'm sure you little heart is all melted already._

_Take care, _

_Xx Kagome xX_

_PS: You would tell me if you had a thing going on with Sesshomaru, right? Right? Oh don't look at me like that, I promise I wouldn't tell anyone!_

"Rin", called a deep, familiar voice.

She gasped and stuck the paper on her chest, in an attempt to hide its content. She looked at her lord with a intense blush. He raised an eyebrow.

"Was I interrupting something?", he inquired.

"N-no, I was done!", she stammered.

"As you say.", he replied quietly. He was pretty sure there were a few lines about him in that letter, but he did value privacy, so he didn't feel the need to linger on that subject. "You are the only left, now. You should come"

"Y-yes!"

…

She let escape a huge, exasperated, embarrassed sigh as she entered her room. She had left out all of the most juicy gossips: the whispers to her ear, the rumours, the never-ending hug he gave her in the cave…and his arm around her shoulder in a comforting gesture even though he got beaten badly by a snake because of her. How the hell could Kagome arrive to such conclusions with only what Rin thought was the not-compromising information?

She sighed again. She felt so lost. She spent at least a night out of two still dreaming of Kohaku, and everyone was gossiping about…whatever…

She took a deep breath and opened the doors of the balcony, staring at the wet lilacs. The rain had just stopped. Then, she grabbed paper, ink and a quill and started writing pages and pages to Kagome, explaining to her why this was not what she thought it was, why she shouldn't joke like that, why everyone was so wrong, that it was so obvious her lord would never think of her that way. However, Rin felt like her long essay wasn't convincing anyone, she could imagine Kagome with a mocking, yet friendly smile, reading the letter over her shoulder. She shredded her first draft and started another one, but it still sounded wrong. She did try to argue he actually had a date for the wedding, but then again, she knew for a fact he wasn't very enthusiastic about it. Then she tried to argue over the fact he didn't like humans, but then again, that argument was wrong: what was she doing here, if he hated humans so much? He changed his views…at least a little…

Then she argued over the fact he was more of a family figure. Rin cringed, that was the worst argument of all. Neither her deceased father nor her brother had a relation with her that resembled what she had with Sesshomaru. Even though they were long dead, she could remember, as if it was yesterday. Her father had been a very caring man, working hard for his family during the day, and helping her learn to read at night, yet disciplining her when she was doing stupid things. Her younger brother had been a friend: they played and fought with each other all the time.

Sesshomaru was…something else. She did own him her life. He protected her, but never was authoritative around her like her father did, in fact he never even forced her to stay with him…She just started following him because she had nowhere to go and he went along with it. A decade ago, when the old monk had been trying to tell her he wasn't from the same world as her, Sesshomaru had still come for her, releasing her of the old man's grip, yet he didn't force her to follow him either: he always wanted her to choose her own path.

He never really tried to teach her the ways of life like her father either, in fact, he had always been a bit nonchalant around her, preferring that she handles her needs on her own, or he would send Jaken to check on her. Yet he was still present, and protective in an indecipherable way, neither talking nor reacting much, but he always listened when she had something to say, asked the important questions at the right time, and respected her needs, letting her some time to eat and sleep in peace. He was the most powerful demon alive, and yet he was patient with her, and came visit her once in a while after he left her to Kaede, still not saying much, but his presence enough had always been a blessing to her. And for all these little reasons: because he saved her, cared for her in his own non-intrusive way, gave her a new beginning at life, gave her a bit of space in his own life, even though he clearly had no use for a human child, she loved him deeply for a long time, a naive crush, a bit like Kagome said. He had been some sort of knight in a shining armor in her childish mind, a cold knight, yet he was still one.

He called himself her protector. She supposed he was some sort of mix between some type of guardian and a unique friend. But she had stopped for a long time to think about what they were to each other exactly. She just concluded he didn't fit in any typical categories humans were used to, and she was fine with it. But now, she felt like his nonchalance and quiet protection of her was shifting toward something else, and she wasn't sure what yet. And she wasn't sure what to think of him either. She couldn't deny the fact that she loved that he spent more time with her, and that he spoke to her more openly, like an adult she was now, actually.

None of her close friends at the village treated her that way, she was just the little girl they had to watch over, a younger sister of some sort. But her lord apparently didn't miss the fact that she was a woman, there were some obvious hints she noticed, the most obvious being his not so uninterested stares. Especially the one the day before, he didn't watch the horizon he was usually so fond, when he laid back against the tree… which was very unusual: he never stares at anyone, never! No one was worth his entire attention before. But now, apparently, she did…

She thought again about the cave: the warm embrace, with his hand caressing her hair tenderly, and about the game in the gardens, his strong grip around her waist: she had felt the damn _butterflies _at that moment_, _but she wasn't ready to acknowledge it back then. She hadn't expected they would show up so quickly…they weren't supposed to. But now everyone was shoving these little signs into her faces all the time, and she had no choice but to think this through.

She stared at her last letter and shredded it furiously all over again. Her shoulders fell down, with a defeated sign. Her hand got possessed with some malevolent force:

_Kagome,_

_About this __thing__ you are so adamant to know about…I frankly cannot answer. I simply don't know…I am so confused._

_What if you were right? Wouldn't it be wrong?_

_Rin_

…

A few days passed, then some more, Rin not thinking much about it. The wedding was coming very quickly. It was in only two days! She had been so busy getting prepared with the decorations and her singing repetitions…time was sure running out. It has been a month since her arrival to the Western Lands.

She was now doing some decorations with orange chrysanthemums: they were flowers who didn't wither easily, so she could do it in advance. But she knew it was a bit pointless, she knew she would still be very busy on the morrow.

She did have some dreams of Kohaku recently, but not as often, and they weren't as sad as they were before, the way he died has stopped plaguing her so often. She was now dreaming of happier moments, when he gave her a flower or when he kissed her for the first time. The few kisses they had shared had always been shy, innocent, well, almost all of them. They wanted to take their time. In the end, they didn't have the time to do much… But she remembered Sesshomaru's advice: stop lingering endlessly in the past, and move on.

When she wasn't able to see anything of what she was doing anymore because the sun had gone down, she realized she must have been doing this for too long. She left the ceremonial temple and got back inside the mansion, ignoring the official dinner: her lord wasn't there anyway. He hadn't shown up a single time since they had come back from the patrol. In fact, the closer they were to the wedding, the coldest, even sullen, he became, hiding in the study most the time, being apparently very busy, Jaken too was also very occupied. Well, everyone was worked up, her included.

She realized she hadn't checked recently if she had mail. She decided to go check out for herself.

She knocked at the door, didn't hear anything and decided to get in. She froze when she was greeted by her lord's stare.

"Oh…I'm sorry…Am I disturbing you?", she asked shyly.

"No", he replied curtly, returning to his papers. "What brings you here?", he asked.

"Not much, I just wanted to see if I have mail, and maybe check the books a little…", she answered honestly.

"I see. Well, suit yourself", he answered nonchalantly.

Rin nodded and noticed there was a huge pile of letters. She supposed no one had the time to sort them out recently.

Diving in, she recognized the familiar signature, with the little heart. There was only one piece of paper inside. The note was short.

_Dear Rin,_

_I suppose the answer is subjective, I mean, my grumpy hanyou of a husband would probably _

_have an entirely other view if you asked. But here is my truthful opinion: _

_Live in the present life. Follow your heart and don't look back. _

_Kagome_

Rin blushed and stared at the paper for a while. She felt like Kagome was literally trying to throw her in his arms…She wasn't the only one, her fox friend Nozomi was also convinced they were meant to be with each other, even Sesshomaru's mother had dropped a few insinuations, but Rin never felt like it was reproachful…which was surprising…

Rin glanced behind her shoulder and hid the piece of paper in her obi. Why did he have to be so close each time she was reading something compromising?

She then stared absently at the bookshelf. She saw some books about ancient wars, looking mildly interesting, and then she saw some novels…that surprised her. After a while, she even found a book about the significations of flowers. She was amazed as she went through it.

Then she remembered…she turned the pages until she reached the red tulip, remembering her lord's question, and then, her hazel eyes widened. She tried to refrain a blush and glanced at the youkai in the corner of the room.

The damn flower! Why did it have to be associated to a love confession!? Now that must be why the maids looked at her weirdly when they had seen her bring the flower inside the study.

She looked at the red flower still lingering on his desk with hatred. It had been there for a week in a half now, still as pretty as day one. How could a flower last so long? It must be to torment her mind or something…

She wondered if he knew…

"Do you have something to say?", he inquired.

"Wh-what?"

"You've been staring for a while", he replied neutrally.

She cursed mentally. How could he notice? He wasn't even looking!

Because of her silence, he finally decided to glance at her, and noticed what she was holding. She cursed mentally again.

"You can keep it if you like", he commented.

"Oh…really?", she asked with a smile.

"Hmph, do you really think I use this thing?", he asked coldly.

"I suppose you don't", she replied, a bit dumbly. "Well thank you my lord!"

With her troubling thoughts chased away, she walked slowly towards his desk, and looked at him. His eyes left his papers again, silently inquiring the reason of her great curiosity.

"You look very busy my lord, are there any trouble regarding the borders again?", she inquired.

"No. Not here, but human lands are unstable", he observed.

"Oh…you read stuff about human villages?", she asked with surprise.

"Yes, some of them are close the southern part of my Lands, any attack on them would impact us", he replied, matter-of-factly. "Have your human friends talked to you about new attacks in their letters?"

Rin blinked a few times before she answered. "N-no…Why? Should I be worried?"

"Not about their village…in fact…I was told they are currently setting up barricades."

"Really? Why would they do that?"

"Some neighbour town got raided again. Also, I read Inu-Yasha has been appointed as guard in chief of your village", he explained.

"Wow! Really? I didn't know…", replied Rin with a gasp.

"How surprising. You do spend a fair share of time writing to them…", he mused.

"Yes", she said curtly, suddenly self-conscious.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh honestly you don't want to know what I'm writing about", she said with pink on her cheeks.

He blinked a few times.

"Indeed, it is not of my business", he conceded, breaking eye contact, returning to his papers.

"What else do you do?", asked Rin.

He raised an eyebrow again. "You are curious", he stated.

She blushed again. "Ah you're right, I'm not fair, I shouldn't ask so many questions about your lordly affairs while I won't even say anything about my childish correspondence!", she exclaimed

"I was merely noticing your curiosity toward my work."

"Is that a problem?", she asked.

"Not at all", he answered. "But I suppose if these topics interest you so, I could relegate some duties to you, in due time"

"Oh…really? You would do that? You would trust me?", she questioned with a blush.

"Why not?", he replied with moderate curiosity.

"Well…I never thought of it…but I suppose I would really love to be useful to you", she said with a sincere smile.

"Hmph, well… It surely is to consider if you think about staying here", he commented.

Rin's eyes went wide. "Stay…here?"

"Yes, that was the point. You stay here for summer and you choose your fate after", he reminded casually.

"Oh yes…that…I completely forgot", she whispered. She looked at him hesitantly. "You would really consider keeping me here, my lord?"

He looked at her as if it was truly a dumb question. "I can't fathom why I shouldn't. You seem to have a good time, and most people appreciate you", he observed.

And there was also the fact that he didn't expect that the situation was going to improve on human lands in the next few months, but she didn't need to know that.

"An-and you do too, right? You like to have me here?", she stammered with a blush.

She would have sworn she saw a hint of amusement in those amber eyes. "I had forgotten how you bring so much life", he said mysteriously.

She didn't look reassured at all.

"And it's not a bad thing", he added.

She answered with her trademark smile. "Fair enough…if so many people would like me to stay... I suppose I should seriously think about it!"

"Don't stress yourself. You choose when you're ready", he replied curtly.

She smiled again. He was truly allergic to pressure.

"I shall get going, my lord. I have flower issues to solve tonight…"

"We are now in the morning Rin, don't you need to sleep every night?", he inquired.

"Nah…not now…too much work to do!"

He raised a sceptical eyebrow. "If you say so"

"Good night, Sesshomaru-sama", she said with a beaming smile.

…

Rin stared with hatred at the morning sun while desperately trying to assemble a flower garland…Also, never had the bird singing been such an irritant…

Only a few hours had passed, and her mood had changed so much… She had drunk too much tea…she hadn't slept of the night, she was a ball of nerves…a disaster on two feet, and she felt like she was going to blow up.

It was a total disaster! Nothing was going as fast as planned, and she had plenty of others chores to finish today. She had a huge pile of red roses still waiting for thorn removal, lilies that needed to be cut, swan plant flowers that were supposed to be delivered today…and all of these would have to be either placed in vases, or cut and trimmed and sometimes tied together for diverse decorations.

Worse of all was that she had to attend to some rehearsal she had completely forgotten about where everyone would be, so they could review key moments of the wedding celebrations. She had just learned her presence was requested for the entire rehearsal, which was weird, considering she wasn't the bride or anyone important during the ceremony.

And now by the look of the sun in the sky she was pretty sure she was late. So she ran out of the gardens and sprinted through the mansion to reach the training area as fast as possible, in hopes she wouldn't be the last to arrive. She was told the Lady Mother had been very cranky lately, so she didn't want to do anything that would upset her.

Her breath was getting out of control but she kept running, until.

"Not so fast Rin, or you might get hurt!", warned a familiar, croaky voice.

Rin stared back at Jaken, who had spotted her with his big bulging eyes. Then she noticed her lord wasn't very far, his back laid against the wall. He had dark clothing again. She tried not to stare but then again, the nice contrast of the dark colour with his pale complexion was hard to ignore. She wondered if he knew what effect these dark clothes had on her…

"Oh…master Jaken, I'm sorry, it's just that I'm late!", she replied with worry, trying to calm her breathing. "They might start without me and the Lady Mother will be mad."

"Don't worry. They will wait", replied Sesshomaru, stoically.

"And why is that?", she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Because I'm not there yet", he said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh…you have to go too?"

"Of course. We should go", he suggested, starting a relaxed walk toward their destination.

She smiled. "Yes!"

He darted a sideways glance. She had shadow under her eyes and he noticed her clothes were the same as the day before.

"Are you nervous, sometimes, my lord?", she suddenly asked, out of the blue.

"No. Why?"

"Everyone is. How can you stay so calm all the time?", she asked, amazed.

"Hmph... Anxiety is pointless and counterproductive", he answered with his usual composure.

"But, it's not like we choose to be stressed out or anything!", she said, throwing her arms in the air.

He raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by her touchiness.

Her shoulders fell. "I'm-I'm sorry. I haven't slept much and…"

"Not slept at all, you mean", he corrected, with knowing eyes.

She bit her lip. "I'll be fine! I'm just…" She couldn't find any relevant excuse. She sighed. "Whatever…Here we are…"

He opened the door for her without saying a word. She tried not to gasp at everyone staring at them, the Lady Mother's freezing gaze the most disturbing of all.

"Here they are", she observed.

"Greetings, mother", replied Sesshomaru, in a cold, yet daring manner. She just frowned at him.

"We were practicing the wedding walk. You both go behind the groom. The zone right there represents the shrine entrance. You stop there, until the bride arrives…", she instructed.

Rin looked at Sesshomaru's mother hesitantly. "Wait…Isn't this Lord Sesshomaru's escort role?", she asked.

"Well, yes. But she's not there. And she won't be there before tomorrow morning", Sasori retorted dryly. "We need a backup escort, in case Lady Amane doesn't show up…"

"Backup escort? Really?", asked Rin, unbelieving.

"Of course. My son cannot be without an escort, and you are Sesshomaru's pretty thing. You are qualified to be the backup girl", the Lady Mother retorted.

"But I don't think…"

"Come on! Up to work!", she interrupted, clapping her hand impatiently.

Rin just shut her mouth with shock. She saw everyone starting to gather in lines, in the right order.

"Rin, take my arm", Sesshomaru ordered in a low voice.

She nodded, held his upper arm and let him lead the walk through the vast ballroom; she had no clue what else she could do in the circumstances. Human unions were very different so she wasn't sure what she was doing. Her own zoris were echoing loudly on the marble floor, her lord's steps silent as usual…She did her best to follow his example…

"You knew about this backup lady thing?", she whispered to his ear.

"No", replied Sesshomaru with a low voice.

"And you agree with this? I mean, I don't mind it, but…"

"I don't care either. And you shouldn't argue with her today, neither tomorrow", he suggested, throwing her a knowing look.

"I suppose you are right!", she whispered.

"Silence!", snapped Lady Sasori, glaring at them. "Walk gracefully, toward the shrine!", she barked.

Rin was startled and held Sesshomaru's arm tighter, apparently unconsciously seeking some sort of comfort and protection. He tried not to smirk.

Then they stopped at the spot they called the entry of the shrine, which was just in fact, the center of the room. With greatest regret, Rin had to let go of Sesshomaru's arm and bowed her goodbyes, so he could wait for the bride and bring her to the altar. A few maids of honour passed by them, until Lady Kishiko showed up: a tall young demon woman, almost taller than her future husband, with turquoise hair, and a messy bob partly hiding her eyebrows, and black eyes. Her walk was confident and she constantly had a playful –a glint devilish– smile plastered on her face. From her first impression, Rin thought she might have a similar temper as Tenmaru's.

Her lord formally brought her to the altar, not even glancing at her a single time. Rin couldn't help but smile when she saw Sesshomaru's cousin glance back and see the bride, feign bewilderment and then awe. Kishiko stuck her tongue in a teasing manner, and apparently whispered something funny to his ear. Both of them snickered.

They seem to be taking this union lightly, but the aunt Sasori didn't seem to agree, by the look of her judging glare.

Then followed some accelerated version of the priestess prayers, the couple exchanged vows, Sasori blamed Tenmaru for what Rin thought were very pointless details, and then the ceremony ended…finally… At least an hour had passed already.

Then Sasori spoke of very detailed things for the nuptial dinner. At least, Rin learned she would be sitting at the table of honour, which would also be occupied by the newly weds, their parents, Lady Sasori, Sesshomaru and his escort. She didn't know how she felt about this, she had hoped she wouldn't have to be too close to Sesshomaru and the mysterious lady: what if they got along?

Rin chased that thought away. She couldn't be jealous…it wasn't like she was a suitor or anything…She was just his ward…

Then, when she thought everything was over, Sasori insisted everyone practice the wedding waltz, more precisely, the first dance.

Rin thought briefly of leaving, but noticed no one dared, so she sat back, looking at the newly weds laughing with each other. For an "alright" bride, Tenmaru didn't seem to be bored at all with Kishiko.

"What are you doing?", asked Sesshomaru. Rin was startled.

"My lord?"

"Come", he said, giving a hand so she could stand up. "The hosting Lord and his lady are second to enter the ballroom", he informed her, matter-of-factly.

Rin's heart skipped a beat.

"But…I'm not…", Rin protested shyly.

"She's looking at us right now. She will bark again if you don't move", he warned, a glint of something close to amusement in his eyes.

Rin nodded quickly and took his warm hand.

As much as she liked him, she hated this rehearsal to the highest point. She hated she had to play Sesshomaru's escort, knowing this was never going to happen, a role reserved to some gorgeous demon queen, who would do it marvellously without having to bear Lady Sasori's complaints. She thought it was a pointless torture. And she had so many other things to do!

She tried to get rid of the negative thoughts. At least it was an opportunity to dance with Sesshomaru in advance! He had promised her they would at some point during the celebration…probably late enough so that no one would bother to notice, that is.

She tried to ignore her dizziness. Her lack of sleep was catching up on her. She was so tired and distracted she almost didn't pay attention to the music in the background and the fact that her Lord was now standing in front of her, staring…

"Rin", he whispered.

She blinked and seemed to regain consciousness.

"Y-yeah", she replied absently, staring at her feet.

He frowned. He slid his hand on her back and took her hand. She watched him raise it slowly in the stereotypical elegant fashion of the nuptial dance. She noticed for a second time how his hand was warm, contrasting flawlessly with his cool demeanour.

"Your hand, in my back", he said in a low voice, bothered by her distraction.

Her hazel eyes finally met his ambers, and she realized…this…was…actually happening. She obliged and tried to regain composure. She felt her face whiten and her heart beat faster. She looked at him in the eyes, his traits expressionless, as usual… but she could barely bear it. What was happening to her? She felt ill, an outcast. This wasn't her place. That was the place of the gorgeous lady of the Heartlands, with the fancy name.

In theory, in her own little naïve mind, such a moment was supposed to be dreamy, she wasn't supposed to be intimidated by his amber eyes, his damn black clothing making him even more manly and stern or his slightly musky and entrancing scent she could smell when he was so close. There was no way she could focus in these terrible working conditions!

He started his move, and she followed, but realized how different his style was from Tenmaru. His cousin, so bold and energetic, was making her waltz and spin at a quick pace. Sesshomaru started…slowly, with relaxed and fluid movements. When Tenmaru was dynamic and lively, Sesshomaru was precise and graceful…she wasn't used to such perfection. She realized she might have overtaken his speed once or twice. Until…

"Wait, stop!", ordered Sesshomaru's mother. Everyone stopped moving.

"Rin, what is the matter with you?", she asked with annoyance.

Rin blinked, not sure what she was supposed to answer.

Sasori frowned. "That's not working, you will have to concentrate more than that."

She nodded "I'm sorry Sasori-sama", she whispered, shameful.

"Alright, You four need to start over", she told the future spouses, Sesshomaru and Rin. The poor human gulped and stared at the floor, not wanting to see her partner's sideways glance.

"Oh don't worry Rin", whispered Tenmaru with a wink. "It's not your fault, it's because prince prissy over there doesn't know how to deal with a bubbly fay like you". His fiancé gasped.

"I suppose you enjoy the fact that I cannot kill you right now?", shot Sesshomaru back with annoyance.

"Well, you have to admit this is not exactly the best day to unleash your demonic form on me", the cousin retorted with a smirk.

"Oh stop it, kids!", ordered Sasori. "Start over!"

Tenmaru and Kishiko quickly joined hands and did the same as the first time, swift and gracious moves. Rin gulped. Sesshomaru frowned, he started to understand why his ward was struggling, he thought the spouses looked like some kids who ate too much sweets, not appropriate for a nuptial dance at all. But no one seemed to care.

"That won't do", he commented with disdain. "Tenmaru behaves like a fool and his woman seems to enjoy…".

"I think they are quite elegant", Rin observed.

"To a beginner's eyes, maybe", he observed. Rin eyed him worriedly. He cursed mentally; it seems that practising with his damned cousin made her learn some bad habits.

"Just follow me", he instructed, with a tad of impatience.

They started over. This time, she wasn't as quick, but she still felt horrible. When he raised delicately her hand to make her spin, she couldn't help but make her move far too quickly and haltingly, mismatching his flowing elegance.

"Rin!", snapped Sasori, harsher than first time. "What the hell are you doing?"

Rin flinched and stopped abruptly. Sesshomaru glared at his mother, she was distracting even him.

"Your moves are an eyesore!", Sasori continued, with impatience. "You can't expect to dance with my son if you can't do simple basic dance moves!"

"Oh they will dance together?", wondered Kishiko with curiosity.

"Mother, why don't you get some air", suggested Sesshomaru.

"Why should I? We don't have the time for that!", she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

He tried not to frown. There were too many irritable women around him today…

"Nonsense. Rin is indisposed. We need a break", he replied dryly.

Rin blushed, was he trying to cover her again?! Making up excuses for her bad performance? But then again, if you define lack of sleep like a physical condition…

"Is it true Rin?", inquired the mother suspiciously, eyeing her.

She gulped. "Well…I do feel under the weather, my lady…"

Sasori frowned. "You do look a bit pale. Fine…we'll take 10 minutes…"

"20 minutes", Sesshomaru corrected, frowning.

"Fine", she replied, her lips a thin line. "It better be worth it"

Last line was like a slap in Rin's face. Everyone started talking, she felt many stares.

"When is the last time you have eaten, Rin?", asked Sesshomaru with a knowing look.

Her shoulders fell. How did he know? "I-I…it must have be yesterday afternoon…"

If looks could stab, she would drop dead.

"You skipped dinner…again?", he asked, unhappy.

_You weren't there…_she wanted to say.

"I'm sorry", she whispered sheepishly. "I was so busy…"

And then she saw Jaken run toward them with a plate of rice balls. She felt her mouth water. Another saviour… "Oh thank you master Jaken", she whispered, attacking the food like it was the best thing she had ever eaten in her entire life.

Even Sesshomaru was silently thankful his servant was quick to react for once.

"Feh…imprudent girl", scoffed Jaken. "It is ironic all the demons around you are more aware of your human limits than yourself!"

"Oh I don't think every demons are…only you and Sesshomaru-sama", she said with a smile. Her smile faded "I guess it's pretty ironic anyway?"

"Very ironic indeed", insisted Jaken with a judging frown.

Then Rin realized Sesshomaru had disappeared, she spotted him talking to his vassal Kireru, who nodded at something.

"Rin!", whispered Nozomi, while sitting next to her. "You are going to dance with Lord Sesshomaru?", she asked, bewildered.

"Well, yes. But if the Lady of the Central Lands comes as expected, it'll only be the last dance, I asked him last week. Why?"

"Oh Kami! Don't you know?!", she asked with a gasp.

Rin looked at her questioningly.

"Well, the fact that he accepted to dance with you, even though he is accompanied is something…", she started thoughtfully, "but you know…there is also the fact that…"

"What?", asked Rin, now impatient.

"Lord Sesshomaru is like…a _legend_ when it comes to dancing! He barely dances, but when he does, it's like the most awesome thing any female can ever witness in their lifetime! It's masterly, marvellous and majestic! It's it's…"

Rin felt her face whiten all over again. Had she made some terrible mistake she was going to regret her entire life? He was some legendary ballroom dancer coming out of his shell once every century and she was some human beginner almost stepping on his feet! Oh Kami!

"What absurdity is she talking about now?", inquired a low voice.

Now it was the turn of the vixen to whiten and stare behind her, master Sesshomaru being even more intimidating, standing while they were sitting, looming over them like a silent and deadly threat.

"She said you are some sort of dancing legend!", Rin exclaimed with panic. Nozomi stared at Rin with terror. Sesshomaru glared at the fox-girl.

"Nonsense", he retorted with annoyance.

He gave a hand to Rin. She complied and had the impression his hand was even warmer than before, it was probably hers that was freezing by now…

"Let's revise a few steps", he suggested.

"Right", she whispered, full of dread.

…to be continued…

Yeah…I know…what a terrible place to stop! But I promise very high concentration of fluff on part 2, but it does require some minor editing before publication. A couple of reviews could help me fix that quickly ;)


	8. Silent Confessions (part 2)

Chapter 8: Silent Confessions (part 2)

Rin stared, unbelieving, at her fox-friend, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. She felt her face whiten all over again. Had she made some terrible mistake she was going to regret her entire life? Sesshomaru was some legendary ballroom dancer coming out of his shell once every century and she was some human beginner almost stepping on his feet! Oh Kami!

"What absurdity is she talking about now?", inquired a low voice.

Now it was the turn of the vixen to whiten and stare behind her, master Sesshomaru being even more intimidating, standing while they were sitting, looming over them like a silent and deadly threat.

"She said you are some sort of dancing legend!", Rin exclaimed with panic. Nozomi stared at Rin with terror. Sesshomaru glared at the fox-girl.

"Nonsense", he retorted with annoyance.

He gave a hand to Rin. She complied and had the impression his hand was even warmer than before, it was probably hers that was freezing by now…

"Let's revise a few steps", he suggested.

"Right", she whispered, full of dread.

Her hand intertwined with his once more, as the other one placed itself over his shoulder, his arm going under hers, tads of nervous butterflies stirring their wings in her belly all over again. She felt far too many eyes on them. She hated that. They did make a few simple steps, right, back, left, front, without any incident, but when he tried to make her spin, but again, she was a bit too quick. He frowned.

"You are tense", he observed, examining her expression.

He saw her traits harden, which meant to him something must be wrong. He stopped, she looked back at him sheepishly.

"What's the matter Rin?", inquired Tenmaru among the watchers. "You're stiff like an oak tree…"

Sesshomaru glared at him.

"She wasn't like that during our lessons", the cousin explained.

Sesshomaru stared back at her, silently enjoining her to express her source of torments at once. She lost her temper.

"I can't concentrate when everyone is staring like that!", she said with irritation.

The Lord stared back at the crowd, with an icy look. "You heard her. Get lost", he ordered, voice full of unspoken threats.

Then the crowd very effectively dispersed itself, leaving them almost alone. Rin thought the whole situation would have been hilarious, if her condition wouldn't have been so pathetic at the moment. She stared back at him. The crowd might be gone, but he still looked the same from up close. Stoic. Hard. Handsome…

She wasn't able to calm herself, she kept thinking her place truly didn't belong with a hand intertwined with his, and the other one resting on the upper part of his back. She could feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric…

…Kami…

He frowned. With or without crowd, she was tense and he could feel her quick heartbeat through her cold hand, that wasn't right.

"Is the matter about me, Rin?", he inquired, perceptively.

She felt like she was going to faint. Worse…die probably. What was she supposed to reply?

_I'm sorry, Sesshomaru-sama, it must be your dark clothes that make you look even more intimidating, almighty, and virile and I cannot stand it…_

_I'm sorry, it must be that your intense stare is so handsome and entrancing from up close, it makes me melt like a snowflake getting too close to red embers…_

_Your heavenly perfume is just so manly and attractive; I just want to get even closer, breathe-in and hold you in a never-ending embrace…_

_Your deep, alluring, husky voice and your flirty whispers are so distracting we should just kiss eagerly to get this over with._

She felt her face turn burgundy. Did she just thought that?! That was completely insane! It was all Kagome's fault, giving her the wrong ideas…

"I-I…", she stammered.

She briefly wondered how he would react if she just blurted out everything that just came out from her head?

"You're…you're…ahhh…"

She felt a couple of butterflies laugh at her in her stomach. He raised an eyebrow. Has he heard them or something?

She was wasting his time, and the break was probably coming to an end soon, she needed to get this over with.

"Well…yes I guess it's a bit about you. You are just…much more intimidating than anyone else I danced with. I feel like whatever I do, I would just be awkward and out of place. I just don't know how to look right…next to you", she admitted.

She sighed. At least she succeeded leaving out the part about the weird reaction of her body each time he wore something else than his usual white attire, her recent obsession with hugging him or the sudden want to feel his…lips on hers.

He looked at her thoughtfully. He certainly knew what that meant when a woman told him he was intimidating, he hard heard that so many times already. He knew what kind of effect he could have on womanhood… but he didn't think it would be as bad with Rin, since she knew him.

…But maybe it was the other way around? Now that he thought about it, knowing her for a long time didn't prevent him from thinking she was attractive. In fact, maybe the fact that he knew her…was the reason why his self-control was weaker around her?

Following this trail of thoughts, it could mean that Rin was in fact so distracted by his closeness she couldn't concentrate. In fact…her condition might also be worsened because she was a maiden, she barely knew how to behave around men. She wasn't used to sensations in the lines of physical attraction and she didn't know how to cope with that…Now that was a problem…

He stopped moving. "I get it", he said, inadvertently throwing her a knowing look.

She blushed.

He let her go and decided to stand behind her.

"If I am the problem, then I am not here", he stated, matter-of-factly.

"Huh?"

"Let's pretend it's the other way around. You are in front of some blushing human boy around your age, who makes you dance for the first time", he instructed, suddenly very inspired. The coldest part of him was very amused. He had to care a lot about her to bother with pointless things such as dancing…

Rin thought his description was fitting Kohaku a bit too precisely, but chased that thought away

"What would you do, if you were to dance with the human boy?", he asked.

She thought a little. "Well, if he's shy and all, I wouldn't want to scare him off"

"How do you do that?"

"I guess I would smile reassuringly, and be soft and gracious and…not too quick…", she supposed, thoughtfully.

"Exactly. Now do it", he instructed.

"There is no one. This is weird", she protested.

"Do it", he repeated.

She complied, pretending she was indeed with some human boy…She tried to concentrate and placed her hands in front of her for the invisible human boy and started to dance, his lack of confidence forcing her to do slow, yet flowing movements.

Sesshomaru stared, effectively satisfied at how quick she pulled herself together with a few simple instructions. She wasn't bad at all, it didn't look like she had just learned to dance. It seemed as natural to her to dance gracefully than it was for him to be a warrior. Her arm's position was a little, just a little bit off, but everything else was perfect.

He walked around her to see her face and noticed her eyes were closed. He decided to just join in, wrapping his warm hand around hers and place himself so her hand would brush against his back. She opened her eyes, out of her trance.

"You aren't the human boy", she observed.

"Just have some imagination", he suggested.

She was sure she saw the ghost of a smile, but his hair hid his eyes, when the brief phenomenon occurred. She was disappointed she didn't get to see his entire face during one of his rare smile.

"You are taller than the human boy", she insisted. "And the human boy doesn't have a baritone voice"

"Just pretend it's another boy then", he replied.

"He wouldn't be as shy…being all…tall and manly like that", she argued teasingly.

"Just keep going", he instructed, slightly annoyed.

"My imagination is running out of excuses", she added with a smile.

"Your arm Rin…", he said suddenly, changing the subject.

"What about it?"

"You do not extend it enough"

"The human boy had shorter arms", she protested again, with a little smile.

He pulled at her arm gently. She looked at it doubtfully.

"I feel awkward. Is it truly prettier like that?"

"Yes."

"I don't feel like it is…", she commented.

He gathered his patience and tried to find some relevant image to make her understand.

"…Think of it like a wing. You want to deploy it gracefully, like a swan…", he tried to explain. "…not a hummingbird".

Rin thought about that…a hummingbird, she supposed it was some pretty way to tell her to calm her bubbly reflexes and be a little more composed and elegant like he was.

He raised their hands slowly, in a clear intention of making her twirl.

Rin closed her eyes. _Swan…swan…swan…_

He raised her hand slowly yet at the highest point it could reach and she twirled, she took her time, moving her free hand in a fashion that would let her kimono fly gracefully, like pretty feathers.

Without even trying, she felt her hand find his back again.

"Much…better", he commented with a low voice. She smiled.

Her eyes were closed (it was easier not to get distracted that way) and she hadn't noticed everyone was back, observing them quietly.

"Do you want to fly, now?", he asked in a whisper.

Oh, he wanted to make her swirl in the air now. Rin enjoyed to be lifted in the air, but they hadn't done it very often during the lessons, it wasn't supposed to be something ballroom dancers do very often anyway. She remembered from the lessons that Tenmaru hated it.

"O-okay", she stammered.

Her hand in his back climbed at the back of his neck, both his hands fell on the sides of her thin waist and she felt her feet slowly quit the floor. She gave a small push at the base of his neck so she could go even higher, and extended one of her leg a little, she knew that would be particularly pretty with the elegant clothes she was supposed to wear on the morrow. He spun in a suddenly quick fashion, making her squeak in surprise, but she didn't lose balance. He made her feel very light. She truly felt like a bird.

She heard gasps so she opened her eyes, to see everyone staring at them in what seemed to be awe. Whatever they were doing, it must have been very graceful. She blushed and smiled happily and he brought her back to the ground. Rin was little sad it was over.

"Now that was pretty Rin", commented Sesshomaru's mother, much calmer. She turned to her son.

"How did you do it?", Sasori asked.

"A little less condescendence, a little more analysis", he replied coldly.

She huffed. "Fine. One last time and then we'll be done", she instructed.

Rin watched the future mates going in, same swiftness as before, she frowned.

"Though my intention is not to criticize, won't it look mismatched if we all go at different paces?", she wondered.

"Not really", he answered. "You'll see"

"I hope I won't freak out again", whispered Rin with worry.

"Think about the human boy", replied Sesshomaru.

"I'll try, but it would be a little fairer if you wouldn't be so confident", replied Rin with a playful smile. "Think about some drop-dead gorgeous demoness"

"Hmph. That wouldn't intimidate me", he replied coolly.

"Even if it's the most beautiful demoness in the entire universe?", she asked teasingly.

"Demonesses are quite predictable", he retorted.

"Then, think you are with some hot demonic loose cannon", she instructed with a particularly playful smile.

"For you information, you can be quite unpredictable yourself", he replied, in a detached manner.

She giggled, thinking it was some sort of joke.

"Let's go", he said, sternly.

She took his hand and followed, not sure what she should assume from his last admission. She let him lead her through the room, much less self-conscious as before, seemingly forgetting what intimidated her so much before. His pace wasn't so bad after all, much less exhausting. Feeling his hand slide at the small of her back, she knew he would make her fly again, and held his neck. She spun, a tad more slowly than last time and fell back graciously on her feet, before she was lifted another time, she squeaked, not expecting the double spin. She didn't mind it. She liked to fly…a lot. Feeling his strong grip on her waist, she felt confident enough to stop holding him and extended her arms, like the swan she was supposed to be. When she started to loose some height, she stared down and saw he was staring up, his eyes making her feel like a snowflake again. She ignored the feeling and just held his shoulders, while going down, still spinning.

When she reached his eye level, he didn't look away, and she didn't either, which made their faces very…very close for a brief moment, almost brushing against each other, during which she felt some ticklish feel on her lips. She supposed it was her body again, attracted to his like there was some sort of magnetic field around it. She wondered if he had felt it too.

After her feet touched the ground again, his pace quickened, he wasn't so slow anymore. She followed willingly, holding his hand a little tighter to avoid losing the momentum, accelerating a little until they reached the others' swift moves. He made her twirl; this was different than the first time, she was quick but hadn't forgotten to add the touch of grace everyone was craving for. When she was done spinning, a simple nuance of his wrist's movement made her approach him a little more than she was supposed to, but she succeeded placing her other hand in his the right way just on time: she actually could have brushed against his chest, if she had been a bit more distracted… she just saved herself from another very embarrassing blush…Was it a mistake on his end, or some sort of teasing? She looked at his eyes, and recognized the glint of something she saw the week before; when she was putting magenta on her lips…He definitely did that on purpose.

She did notice many other couples had joined in, so they weren't in the center of attention anymore, which made her glad. She wouldn't want the Lady Mother to see this.

"You understand now?", he asked to her ear.

"It's all about progression", she answered, knowingly. She smiled. His style had switched from most terrifying and complex thing in the world to the most beautiful way of dancing she had known. She thought partner dance was just some activity to create social interaction and few special moments, but he had shown her how to do it as if it was a real work of art.

"Okay that's enough!", exclaimed Sasori while clapping her hands. "I think we are ready. You can all leave, now".

Everyone stopped and walked toward the exit.

Sasori went to Rin and smiled at her. "You were much better, dear Rin. I would say perfect, even".

"Thank you, Sasori-sama", she replied with relief.

"Just try not to squeak all the time, when my son grabs your waist", she instructed with a glint of playfulness.

Then the Lady Mother looked at Sesshomaru with a smirk. "My son, this is not the time to forget your gentle manners now"

"What are you talking about?", he questioned with annoyance.

"Though I know how to enjoy a little spark once in a while, you just forgot what are reasonable distances. You even outweighed Tenmaru in lasciviousness at some point", she reproached.

Rin gasped, as Sesshomaru just glared.

"Hmph, sight doesn't improve with age, I see", he retorted.

"Speaking of age, you take some of your father's bad habits with time, Sesshomaru. Lady Amane might not like this", she said, then she frowned. "Just be careful…", she finished as she left.

Rin glanced at her lord as they walked out, not knowing how she should behave after such an open scold of the Lady Mother. Things with her lord were getting more complicated, and the increase of complication only seemed to accelerate as time passed by. She started to seriously to think all the little signs weren't just the fruit of her wild imagination, exaggeration and gossips.

"Didn't you say you were overwhelmed with work, earlier?", he asked, apparently pretending the last part with his mother never happened.

Then she remembered the source of many torments. "Well, yes, why?"

In a matter of seconds, he spotted a bunch of servants, cleaning up the training center, which was truly pointless, considering that room won't even be used for the wedding.

"You five", he said abruptly.

The girls looked surprised and nodded hesitantly.

"You stop whatever you are doing and obey my ward's every word, until she asks you to leave. If she struggles with something, you help her. Is that understood?".

They looked at each other and just nodded. Rin looked at her lord, dumbfounded.

"It's not necessary…", she whispered.

"It is", he insisted. "If you need anything, I order you to ask"

She grinned. "O-okay!"

He nodded, and left.

…

Night had fallen. The servants were gone, now. Everything was finished. But Rin was a bit of a perfectionist to the task, thinking every little detail mattered. So she inspected her work, and moved some flowers from specific locations to others, not sure she liked her modification, put everything back as it was before, and finally settled for a result in between. There were so many little details that could make the difference; she didn't want to miss any…

"Hey Rin!", said a cheerful voice.

She smiled. "Nozomi, are you done with your work?"

"Yes!", she replied cheerfully. "And you are too, as I see…"

"Well, not really…", answered Rin. "Just a few more things to do and…"

"Oh come on, you've been working on this like a slave for like…weeks! Just drop it and come inside! There will be dinner!"

"When?", asked Rin.

"It's almost time!", she exclaimed impatiently. "And your dear Lord will be there", she said in a low, rasping and fake sensual voice, that Rin supposed was supposed to be a poor imitation of Sesshomaru, she giggled.

"Please Nozomi, he might hear you!"

"Oh he doesn't care, he just wants to see you", she replied with the same voice.

"I'll be there in a minute. I just want to finish this, and then I'll come!", she replied with a sweet smile.

"Hmm, I'll go get back-up", warned Nozomi with a threatening smile.

And then she left…

_5 minutes later_

Rin was standing on a bench, adjusting garland of flowers.

"Rin!", croaked a familiar voice.

"Jaken!", exclaimed Rin. "Let me guess, dinner?"

"Well, yes. You are expected at the official dinner tonight and…"

"But, the sun hasn't even gone down completely already. Isn't a bit…early?", she asked.

"W-well, yes, but we do it different tonight…", he stammered.

"How different? The wedding is only tomorrow, right?"

He started to lose patience. "Rin, your presence is expected! Come at one!"

"Oh come on, I have to finish this!", she replied, with annoyance.

"Fine! But you shall expect reprimand if you do not obey Lord Sesshomaru's orders", he retorted.

"Sesshomaru? He never shows up at this time of the evening, I bet we still have like…three hours before he arrives…"

"He's the one who ordered me to come…"

"I don't believe that", replied Rin with a mocking smile.

"You arrogant little…"

And then she heard the typical sound a rock landing on the toad.

Rin looked back as Jaken's stunned body fell into the grass. She gasped, noticing Sesshomaru was walking in their direction.

"L-lord Sesshomaru", stammered the toad. "I'm sorry my lord, Rin is acting a little feisty tonight…"

"Yes, I had assumed by the delay", he said. " I'll take care of it. Get back inside Jaken", ordered the demon lord.

"R-right".

He bowed and left running.

Rin looked at Sesshomaru with surprise.

"What's going on?"

"It's dinner time", he replied, matter-of-factly.

She looked at him suspiciously. "I don't get it, you never come like this, and early, to make sure I…"

"Stop questioning, just come", he ordered.

"Not before I know what is going on…"

"If you don't get down, I will get you by force", he threatened, narrowing his eyes.

She blinked a few times, surprised. "You wouldn't. You never force me to do anything!"

He threw her a daring look, approaching slowly, like the predator he was. "There are exceptions to many rules", he replied.

And before she could answer, he caught her thin waist in his arms and lifted her up from her bench, making her scream and squirm like crazy. She hadn't expected this, and one of his hands had brushed against some very sensitive spot on her stomach.

"You are indeed feisty tonight", he observed.

"N-no! Stop it!", she begged, suddenly laughing hysterically. "Y-your hands!"

"What?"

"Let me down or else I will die!", she said between two breath, still laughing.

He raised an eyebrow and put her down.

"You are ticklish", he observed.

"Very much yes", she admitted, walking back with him, rubbing her stomach to try to remove the leftover of tickly sensations on her skin.

"That's good to know", he retorted.

"I wouldn't use that if I were you, or else the Lady Mother will scold you again", she said teasingly before she could take it back. She blushed.

"I am the leader here. I torture my human ward as I see fit", he replied a little too seriously.

She looked at him worriedly, but the fact that he was scratching his eyebrow gave out his amusement. She had found out he was doing that to help him keep his cool.

"I still think you wouldn't dare doing that in public", she shot back, as if she hadn't had enough.

"You think so?", he asked neutrally.

"Yeah…", she replied, already with less confidence.

"But we are alone, Rin", he said in a low predatory voice. He turned his head slowly in her direction. She gasped, and tried to run, but before she could get away, he caught her by the waist, and innocently brushed her belly with his hand. She tried not to scream, why was she so ticklish tonight?

"No! Your claws! Please you are killing me!", she protested, unable to breath again, caught in a fit of laughter.

He let her go, quickly hiding and sign of amusement he might have left out.

"Do not mess with me Rin, or else…"

"Okay okay! You're the boss! Kami…you are impossible today", she protested.

The truth was that he was desperately trying not to think of what was coming the next day, and his ward was some excellent source of distraction…But Rin didn't need to know how unenthusiastic he was about that whole wedding event. He didn't like the prospect of seeing _her_ again…

"Here we are", he stated, in front of the dining room. He opened the door and Rin slowly got in, but she noticed the room was full. Everyone looked back at them, and all said…

"SURPRISE!"

Rin almost fainted and tried to flee, but Sesshomaru caught her with the wrist and pulled her toward the table.

"What is this?!", she asked, scared out of her mind. "That can't be…"

"Yes…", he replied, with a reserved demeanour. "Happy birthday, Rin"

Her eyes widened… she had completely forgotten…She let him guide her at the table, too speechless to do anything else.

He sat at the far end of the table, and she was to his right. The Lady Mother was in front of her, Nozomi to her right, and Tenmaru and his bride not very far.

"But-but-but…", she protested. She looked at him, unbelieving. He was the only one who knew the exact date!

"I have nothing to do with this", Sesshomaru explained, reading her mind.

"Oh he told us when was your birthday!", refuted Nozomi, with a playful smile.

"You asked me", he retorted coldly.

"Oh you collaborated alright", replied the Lady Mother with a smirk. "But we were indeed a little curious about the human…birth date celebrations so we forced him to talk."

"You realize you are celebrating a human birthday party in a demon mansion?", inquired Rin, bewildered. "That's insane!"

"I know that", commented Sesshomaru with annoyance. He would never have thought this day would come…

"Oh be quiet, son. You got to see what it was many times, it is our turn to satisfy our curiosity", settled Lady Sasori.

"And it'll be just like you're home", added Nozomi to Rin with a smile.

"Well…not really, there aren't dozens of people, feasts, music and…"

"Oh well, that's the demon way", cut off Tenmaru with a smirk. "Demons do not celebrate often, but when they do…"

"They do it wild!", exclaimed his bride Kishiko with a grin. They slapped hands in a very informal ways Rin had only seen Inu-Yasha and Shippo use…oh she might have done it with Kagome once or twice after some evil conspiracy against the boys.

"Besides, anything related to you might be one of the only excuse that could convince our lord to accept a party…right Sesshomaru?", added Tenmaru with a smirk.

He looked back at his cousin with annoyance.

"I think it's fascinating how we celebrate some precise date in summer, during which young Rin was born 18 years ago, and most of us don't even remember our own birthdate, or age for that matter", commented Sasori, thoughtfully.

"Rin, just how quick do you age?", asked Nozomi curiously. "You've been adult looking for how many years now?"

She looked puzzled. "I-I guess it must be since I'm fourteen or fifteen or something, but it's gradual, you know…" She glanced at Sesshomaru for some sort of complement of information.

"It is like she said", he added. "Even last year she looked a bit different"

"Did I?", she inquired curiously.

"A little", he said, for once being the first to attack his meal, not wanting to say more.

He was quite certain to womanly figure had developed a lot in the last year, but there was no way he was going to say that, and he wasn't even sure anyway, considering his precious perception of Rin hadn't been soiled a year ago…

Sasori clapped her hands together. "We should all eat quickly like my son does, so we can process with the gift part as soon as possible!"

"Oh please, you really shouldn't have…", whispered Rin with a blush.

"Oh we did because we wanted to…You know…see how it feels like to spoil a human woman as a hobby, it looks addictive", Tenmaru observed with a wink.

"Oh I think the dancing part looked addictive too", added Sasori with a mischievous smile.

Rin blushed. Sesshomaru wanted to kill them all, but decided not to say anything.

…

Rin looked at the pile of…stuff next to her, and had no clue how she was even supposed to bring all those gifts back to her human village. She wondered if it was some conspiracy to make her stay…

Then it was Tenmaru's turn, who gave her a light box, with a wink.

"Should you even unwrap what this guy will give you?", wondered Nozomi.

"I second that", observed the Lady Mother.

"Oh come on! See for yourselves", replied the cousin with annoyance.

Rin looked at him with a little suspicious smile and unwrapped it, to find a…book…

"The Pink Orchid", she read.

Almost everyone –Sesshomaru excluded- laughed out loud. There was something she truly didn't get…

"I completely approve!", commented the bride to be, slapping her future mate's hand. It seemed to be something they did often…

"Well, that's the thing you told me about the other day? Like a famous book or…", she asked innocently.

"Rin…that's literature for women", explained Sesshomaru's mother with a sly smile. "Do you really had to do this Tenmaru?", she asked.

"Well I had guessed only by the title that it was some feminine reading", commented Rin innocently.

"No Rin! She meant like…the kind of stuff you read alone…in your room…you know!", explained Nozomi with a grin.

She blushed. "O-oh…But…" She looked at the lecherous demon with annoyance. "I should have known…"

"Seriously Lady Rin, I highly suggest you read it, it is so enlightening…", commented Kishiko with a wink.

"That's embarrassing", Rin whispered with a blush.

"Oh don't be! I read it too! And I believe every woman in this room must have, and maybe even a few men", commented Nozomi with a grin.

"I sure did!", replied Tenmaru with a grin.

"Well enough childishness now. Let's move on with mine", stated Sasori. "Here you go".

Rin looked at it with curiosity. The box was bigger, but still light. She rummaged through the paper, and was amazed by what she found.

"A new furisode. It's it's…"

She stared at it: it was made of white silk, of an extremely good quality, with patterns of red flowers scattered at a few places, but not dominating the white. Somehow, it reminded her a lot of the style of pale clothings Lady Sasori or Sesshomaru would wear: it definitely came from the same silk. There was an assorted dark red obi. The dress was flared below the knees, as were the sleeves, so long they almost reached the floor. It was beyond elegant. She felt a little moved, especially considering it was coming from Sesshomaru's mother.

"I thought these colours would do miracles on you", said Sesshomaru's mother with a smile.

"Th-thank you. It's absolutely beautiful. I love it."

"Now you must try it! Come with me."

She brought her behind a dressing screen in an adjacent room. Rin tried it on, and let Sesshomaru's mother tie her obi. She was a little shy: it was usually some servants who took care of that business. She gasped when she looked at herself in the mirror.

"It's…probably the most beautiful thing I have ever worn…", she whispered, feeling her eyes watering.

"Oh don't be silly, you have plenty of other beautiful clothes. But I thought this piece would be nice for tomorrow, don't you think?", asked Sasori.

"Yes, definitely…"

"It's our clan's colours…", observed Sasori. "I hope you don't mind."

"N-no! I'm so flattered Sasori-sama. I never thought I would be given the right to wear something like this!"

She was so overwhelmed she actually hugged the Lady Mother, who, seemingly like her son, didn't know what to do for the first few seconds. She decided to pat her back.

"Rare are human women who can make demonesses jealous of their beauty. You are a lovely creature, little Rin", she finally said, looking at the dress. "And my son appreciates you.._._ It's truly a shame you aren't a demon: I think he would have found his consort already", she thought out loud, like it was the most natural thing in the world to say.

Rin gasped and blushed furiously. "You are exaggerating Sasori-sama. It's n-nothing like that!"

"Oh it's cute how Sesshomaru and you are the most oblivious to the situation", she said, scoffing at her. "Alas, you aren't fooling anyone."

"I swear it's…"

"Don't swear anything, little Rin", ordered Sesshomaru's mother. "I don't really care what you do. Just make sure you don't tease him too much tomorrow, or else you he might put himself in a compromising diplomatic situation, if you see what I mean…", she said with annoyance. "After the wedding, I will not stand in your way…"

Before Rin could process an answer to such a shocking confession, the Mother pulled her wrist so she would leave the dressing screens.

"Come now, I want to know what my son thinks of it."

Rin heard a few gasps as they got back to the dining room.

"Oh Kami, Rin, it's so gorgeous!", exclaimed Nozomi.

"She's like a princess!", whispered Kishiko.

"I want a second wife", whispered Tenmaru, narrowing his eyes.

"My son…I want to hear your views", Sasori requested.

He didn't say a word, as his eyes were glued on her. She looked even more like a swan, he thought. It was one of the finest type of furisode: the types only women ready to marry would wear, yet there were no normal suitor who could even hope to ask for her hand, she seemed only fit for some nobleman. Dressed so regally, she barely looked like a human to his eyes... She was just divine…

"It is our colours", he observed, neutrally.

"Do you have any objections to see her wear this tomorrow?", she asked. "They will know who she belongs to",

He hid his surprise. He never thought his mother would be the one wrapping Rin in their house's colours. He supposed they must have a much nicer relationship than he previously thought. Did his mother fell into the same trap as him, he wondered?

"I have no objection", he finally answered, still staring at it.

"So you like it?", Rin asked, doubtful.

He raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. "Is that really a question, Rin?"

"Well, you haven't said anything clear, yet…"

Not that he had the habit of being direct when complimenting her looks, but she supposed it was worth a shot.

"You are magnificent", he replied, keeping his stoicism.

She blushed and bowed. "Th-thanks. I…think I should remove this, before some accident happens".

"Not yet, if you do, we'll get distracted, and we'll forget…the most important gift", Sasori said with a mischievous smile.

She looked at her son, who gave her an annoyed reaction.

"I wasn't going to give it to her right away", he said dryly.

"Oh, no folly now. We all want to see", she insisted.

"Actually, I don't mind, it can be later", insisted Rin.

She knew he hated fuss. When he gave her kimonos at her birthdays or other occasions, he never did it in front of everyone. She either found the gifts in her room when she was alone, or Jaken would present the gifts to her when her friends were away.

"Nonsense, Sesshomaru", the Lady Mother retorted.

"Yes I want to see too!", added Tenmaru, with an impatient fist slamming the table.

"Me too!", insisted Nozomi with glee

"The bride wants it too", added Kishiko with a pleading smile.

He wanted to kill them all so bad, but he supposed it wasn't the time to make a scene. They all had a rough day, and it was Rin's night.

"Rin, come and sit", he ordered.

Or else she might faint…he thought. She sat next to him. He could feel her nervousness.

"Here", he said as he quickly dropped a leathery casket in front of her.

"It's a small box!", squealed Nozomi.

"A small box!", repeated Kishiko.

Rin stared at it, bewildered. She usually got kimonos…Maybe it was a lovely hairpin? Yet, he wasn't looking at her, she felt like he was a bit…self-conscious?

She took the box delicately opened it.

She stopped breathing and her heart skipped a beat all at once, trying to comprehend what was in front of her. She felt her eyes water pretty bad.

"What is it, Rin?", wondered Nozomi

"It's…it's…a sun", she stammered, she felt a tear rolling on her cheek.

Really, she shouldn't be crying…It was the pendant of a sun, but not just a sun, it had red stone encrusted in the center. She supposed it was the expensive type of stone. What she thought was gold was white too, making it look even more exquisite… She stared back at the red gem, entranced. Kagome had talked to her about precious gems before, the red ones were called rubies, but she hadn't seen anything so majestic from up close.

"Why are you crying?", asked Sesshomaru's mother.

"Can we see?", asked Kishiko.

"I'm…I'm actually afraid to touch it", she said with a trembling voice. "It's-it's so…"

She looked at Sesshomaru, disconcerted. He was looking at her intently. "It's…too beautiful for me, Sesshomaru-sama, I can't accept…"

It's true…it was something for a princess, or even a queen…she wasn't fit for this…it was far too much…

"Nonsense", he replied stoically, with a hint of annoyance. "You shouldn't cry", he insisted, in a low voice. He hated to see her cry. He knew giving her this in front of everyone would cause drama…

"I know! It's just…I don't know what to do! I think it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life!", she exclaimed, lightly touching it with her thumb, as if afraid it would disappear.

"Do you want to try it?", he asked.

She nodded, silently wiping her tears. He walked to her side swiftly, kneeled next to her, slid her hair on her shoulder, and attached it expertly. There were many gasps and squeals of the women.

"My my! A ruby…You know, they say some foreign emperor already gave off an entire city just to get one…", commented Sesshomaru's mother with a smile. "I'd be amazed to know where you got that?", she asked mischievously.

Sesshomaru just ignored her, he kept looking at his protégé, with a little sense of pride. She wasn't just a young woman finely dressed now…she was something else…something more…

"It's a symbol for her, right? The Sun of the Western Lands…", commented Nozomi, with dreamy eyes.

Sesshomaru's mother stared at the pendant longingly. She did look a little jealous.

"Rubies are associated with many things…including royalty and…devotion. Enjoy it…you spoiled ward…", she added, deep in thoughts.

Rin took it in her hands and stared at it, still unbelieving. Of course, a sun…Her lord's sigil was a crescent moon. A sun would be its natural complement. And the gems…Kagome said people in her world mostly gave those to people they love. It was gorgeous, and so full of meanings; she still couldn't believe he gave her something so special.

She stood up, and looked at him, with still watery eyes. One of his hands went to her face, he wanted to wipe her tears off but he didn't have the time, as she threw herself in his arms, crying her happiness against his chest. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the many witnesses.

…

Sesshomaru was so relieved to finally be gone of this awful ruckus, he thought as he got away from the loud dinning room.

That night had been a pain, but he had to endure the feast given in honour of his ward, which stirred quietly in his arms, as he was bringing her back to her chambers.

After the feast and the tears (he truly never thought she would react that way…crying of happiness was still something he couldn't comprehend), she was so exhausted she was unable to celebrate with her friends for more than an hour, after which she took a seat next to him, and fell asleep unceremoniously on his shoulder. Unresponsive to the calling of her name to her ear, he thought it was the moment to leave, considering the way she was snuggled against his shoulder did attract a little too much attention.

After a few seconds, he did succeed sliding her chambers' door open with his foot. He set her down delicately on her bed. He took a moment to look at her, the way her respiration was so slow and her trait so relaxed, he would have loved to caress her cheek, just to check if it was cooler during her sleep.

Showing no sigh of awakening, he walked silently as a thief toward the door still open, and just when he stepped out…

"Please don't go…", she pleaded in a whisper.

He glanced back, a little surprised. Her eyes were wide open, her lips even showing a little pout, at the prospect of seeing him leave. Just how long had she been awake?

"It will be a long day tomorrow, you should rest", he answered.

"I know but…Could you…"

She bit her lip, she was apparently a little nervous. He raised an eyebrow, inviting her to continue.

"Could you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Why?"

He could see her blush, even though the only source of light was a single candle.

"I always sleep so well when we're together…", she confessed.

He wasn't sure what he should reply to that, but for some reason, seeing her lie like this, exhibiting shamelessly some vulnerability…he really felt like indulging her. He stared back at the door, and promptly closed it.

She looked at him intently as he walked slowly into her room and slid the door of the balcony open. The moon was almost full, greeting him with powerful beams. Rin felt a slight breeze on her cheek, refreshing the hot stillness lingering in the room.

"Can you come next to me, my lord?", she whispered with shyness.

He didn't answer, but he did spot a velvety chair, close to her bed. He walked towards it in the same slow fashion as before, and she watched him sit down, with a little disappointment.

She bit her lip. Was she really going to tell him?

"I meant…", She bit her lip again, hesitating for a while. "Would you lie…next to me?…"

She saw his eyes widen very briefly, and he stared back at her, with a little frown.

"I don't think I can do that."

"Why?", she asked with a pleading tone.

That damn tone…such a powerful weapon it was…

"I mean…would it embarrass you or something?", she asked with a little more reserve.

He thought about that a moment.

"I don't think so, no."

"Then who cares?", she asked with a pout. "It's not like we have anything to be ashamed of…"

He stared at her with an indecipherable expression for a while.

"You're right", he concluded. He stood up. "You really want this?", he confirmed with curiosity.

"Yes", she whispered.

"…As you wish", he said nonchalantly, sitting on her bed.

She felt as if her face…no…her entire body…was set aflame, while she stared at him remove his boots and unbuckle his armour. He couldn't be serious…

Oh Kami he was really doing this! That was so socially inappropriate and scandalous and insane but he agreed to do it! She was so excited!

She watched him intently as he lied down, with his arms crossed behind his neck, looking nonchalantly at the ceiling. She admired silently his profile: the golden hue of his iris under the moonlight, the undulation of his hair on her pillow (Kami! His head on her pillow!), then she inspected his high cheekbone and perfect jawline…

And then he looked at her.

"What are you doing?", he asked suddenly.

"N-nothing", she stammered. "I was just looking at you…"

"You were supposed to try to sleep", he reminded.

"Well…I wasn't that much in a hurry…you know, we don't have so much…alone time together", she tried to explain.

He mentally cursed. His _male_ mind could interpret this in the most dishonourable way, but he chased that thought as quick as it came. He uncrossed his arms and extended the one that was closer to her side until it was over her head.

"Come here", he ordered, open inviting her to lie against him.

She looked at him with confusion and with a cute blush. Yes, he thought that level of blush was a bit cute. He raised an eyebrow defiantly.

"I know this is what you want", he retorted, a little more eloquently that he would have liked. But he remembered the cave, and he was pretty certain this is the type of proximity she wanted.

She blushed harder than before.

"O-okay!"

She came next to him and laid the back of her head against his shoulder. He placed his arm on her stomach in a protective embrace. She felt his hand…warm again…through the fabric of her clothes.

She felt so content like this…that she didn't want to move…now she was dreading the moment his arm would just go numb and he would want to get away, so she just enjoyed the moment in hopes she would fall asleep before this happens!

He glanced at her and saw the pendant, shining under the moonlight.

"Aren't you going to remove this?", he asked, brushing it with his thumb.

"No", she whispered. "I don't want it to get stolen", she explained after some time.

"If someone get caught steeling it, they will be severely punished", he replied.

Killed, that is…but she didn't need to know, this pendant was worth more that any of his servant's lives.

"But if I lose it, there is no guarantee I would get it back", she explained. "I don't want to lose it in the first place, so I'll just…keep it all the time", she added, turning toward his face with a smile.

He looked at her for a second or two, and then, very aware of the closeness, decided to turn his head, just a little, to the left, as if he wanted to look outside, knowing it would be risky to hold her stares or admire her smile…

Aware of his apparent self-consciousness, she turned her attention to his hand on her stomach. She traced delicately the purple markings on the back his hand, and then she just intertwined her fingers with his, remembering the dancing lesson from earlier. She closed her eyes briefly in happiness, being so close to him felt abnormally right, her heart beating loudly in her chest.

Sesshomaru glanced at her just for a second before glancing back outside. He felt unconfident about all this closeness, this was much more intimate than in the cave. Maybe he shouldn't have accepted this in the first place. He had perfect control on the battlefield, but now, he was concerned he might do something that she wouldn't like, or that he would regret later. He was usually a perfect mastermind with self-control, and he knew what his limits were in most situations…and he was pretty sure that if he pushed his luck more, the last string keeping his barrier intact was going to snap. For all these reasons, he dared not move too much, in fear the very unstable balance of closeness and decency would crumble abruptly.

As if the situation wasn't torturing him enough, she decided to leave his hand, turn to the side so she could snuggle more closely against him and raised her head, watching him. His hand was now on her hip because of her movement. He needed to get it out of here and quick, before other worse accidents could occur.

Feeling extremely bold, she brushed away a few strands of silver hair from his face started to caress the markings on his cheek with her thumb, yet she couldn't bring herself to look at his eyes yet. He frowned lightly, he frankly couldn't remember what other time in his life had someone touched him so tenderly… Well…rarely did he let people come so close… but he was surprised a simple touch such as this could bring some sort of pleasant feeling. His eyes closing slowly let her know she had some sort of permission to continue; her hand had some soothing effect on him.

At this point, her mind was malfunctioning and had stopped emitting moral judgement and modesty, and it was a sweet state of mind to be in. She stared at his very relaxed feature, not quite believing how he so openly exposed his well being, she felt all moved inside that he let his traits become so unshielded around her.

He should have told her to stop, if she kept going, some unconscious part of his mind might interpret this wrongly, and chances of doing something he'd regret later would rise even more, the string could snap at any moment now...

But instead of trying to find some way to reinforce his self control, his hand slid down her hip, and went up her waist, unintentionally appreciating the curve (she tried hard not to gasp, this was sending some tickling feeling through her entire body), then his hand climbed up until it reached the back of her neck, to caress her hair, softly. Some corrupted part of his mind knew she would like that spot.

Rin let a sweet sigh escape from her lips, as she felt his touch at the nape of her neck. She was in pure bliss; so much she apparently forgot to blush. How could such a powerful demon be so delicate like this? A tickly yet pleasant feeling was creeping up her spine and making her feel all warm inside…

He frowned. Now…if that sigh had been just a little louder, it would have been a moan. That thought stirred him more than he would have liked.

And then, after a while of the indefinable moment, letting him entrance her with his feather light touch, she fell asleep, her head and one of her arm on his chest, breathing peacefully, so peacefully, he felt at ease too.

Now he thought, if someone ever had the idea to open the door, he would have a hard time explaining this…but then again…he didn't have to explain anything to anybody. So, as if his subconscious mind was rebelling against whatever consequence that might occur later, he just let his eyelids grow heavy and lose the fight against slumber.

…Yup…end of chapter…

Wedding next chapter, brace yourselves!


	9. Jealousy

A/N : The plot thickens in this one! Enjoy!

Thanks everyone for your reviews, I feel like I've neglected the few anonymous reviewers, so a couple of answers for you…

Jj : I like you little comments, I see you are eager to see them get closer. Who knows, I might even grant one of your requests very soon ;) Thanks for following.

Guest : Yes getting lost like this, it's what people in love do right ^^ Thanks for the reviews!

Kat : Aaahh I know right, whose heart wouldn't melt after receiving such a beautiful gift…and yes the book, we all know it's there to spice things up;) But I don't know, the wet dreams thing is explored in a lot in other stories, I had something else in mind ;)

Chapter 9 : Jealousy

Rin held the red sun on her chest protectively, and stared at the reflection of her bed in the mirror, as three servants were pulling and fighting with her tangled mane, in hopes of creating some intricate half updo style Lady Sasori had requested for her. Apparently, loose hair with a flower crown was not fancy enough for the occasion.

Then she stared at the torture instruments she would have to walk with the entire day…some very high zoris, made apparently to make her look even more elegant. She hadn't even put them on yet, and she was already craving the feel of a cool floor on her feet.

She sighed…This was going to be a long day…

At least the servants were almost done now… Her face was close to snow white, covered with a thick powder, to give her a "noble skin"… They were putting some bright red on her lips, to match the crimson flowers of her wonderful white furisode. She stared at her lips doubtfully, thinking the colour made her look much more mature than usual, she never dared to wear that type of red before… they concealed her bangs in her tied hair and placed an sophisticated jewel on her forehead, with white and red stones. Yet they had placed her loose locks, purposely to hide her "human ears". She wondered why… She knew that humans would certainly not make the difference between her and some foreign youkai princess… but it's not like her smell or aura would fool any demonic guests…

Her look was so unusually sophisticated; Rin thought it looked like she was the one who was going to get married. Now, she was worried there were so much make up and accessories on her that her lord will simply not like her overall appearance.

She briefly looked back at the reflection of her bed again, in the wide mirror … glad for once she looked like a doll, her hot cheeks brilliantly hidden under the white powder. She was still wondering if her memories of the night before were real…but the feeling of a warm hand creating a lightning sensation on her waist, the feather-light touch at the back of her head, or the particular hue of his golden eyes under the moonlight felt much more precise than any dreams…She felt her heart flutter…

"We're almost done now, Lady Rin…", announced one of the maids. "Please put on your zoris and stand up so we can make final adjustments to your attire…"

Rin smiled and nodded; glad to almost be over with this painful grooming. She promptly stood up and grimaced slightly after putting the torture instruments on. Some dangerous stilts they were…

"The length is good. Can you walk now, my lady?", inquired the maid.

She made a few clumsy steps before remembering what the Lady Mother said: small and slow steps were the key to success. Rin stared with awe at the flowing movement of the dress as she moved forward, feeling almost as graceful as her lord or his mother…that white silky fabric must be magical…

"Perfect. Can you raise your arms, now my lady? Only a few adjustments to your sleeves left…"

She nodded and raised her arms, with awe again, before smiling with satisfaction. These sleeves were wings-like… _he_ will like that…

Speaking of the devil, she was so engrossed with the work of the maids and seamstress she hadn't even noticed he had sneaked up behind her. She gasped when her eyes met his in the mirror's reflection.

"My lord! You scared me!", she exclaimed in a whisper.

He didn't answer, and merely contemplated her overall appearance in the reflection. She saw his amber eyes inspect her from head to toe. She felt her face become hot again: but no blush came out.

"I see my mother tortured you", he observed.

"How can you blame Lady Sasori, when she isn't even with me right now?", she asked with a teasing smile.

"She evidently unleashed her doll fantasies on you", he added neutrally, slightly frowning.

"Ah…I guess I can't hide she has something to do with this…You are perceptive, my lord", she added playfully.

"I sympathize", he answered, as he silently noted his ward's arms were slightly shaking from being up for too long.

Then he looked at the seamstress.

"What are you doing?", he asked with obvious annoyance.

"Final touches to her sleeves, we are almost done", she explained.

"It didn't necessitate adjustments last night, why would it require any today?", he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Well…it's…"

"Just leave her be", he interrupted; not even wanting to hear her explanation.

The seamstress blushed and nodded. Rin thanked the woman, feeling a little bad for her lord's impatient reaction, she knew the servant had been working hard.

"Let us go", he ordered solemnly.

Rin nodded slowly, effectively contemplating his overall appearance as well. He wore a beautiful royal blue attire with some strategically positioned golden branch patterns. The blue complimented marvellously his silver hair and his pelt, and the golden was a perfect match with his eyes. Most important than everything else: his hair was held back in a ponytail, putting strong emphasis on his angular features and markings on the sides of his face. Kami… Even without his armour he looked like some war god… he was so striking she felt like she was going to die from delight…

She held his upper arm as they moved forward, she tried not to brush her skin against his: his sleeve was mid-length and hers was so wide it was sliding up her elbow, as her hand rested against his firm arm.

"So…", she started in a whisper as they got out of her chambers, unable to wait a minute more. "How do I look? I-is it too much?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Craving compliments?", he asked back.

"Well…your truthful opinion matters to me. Is it truly that bad?", she tried to justify with a pout, feeling unconfident.

He stole a sideways glance and thought for a moment.

"No. You are divine", he concluded stoically.

Now she wasn't sure her powder covered that hotness on her cheeks. "Well th-thanks…"

"Where are you two going?", asked a feminine, yet threatening voice.

Sesshomaru stared back at his mother with an annoyed look, who was behind them. "Where do you think?"

The Lady mother scoffed. "You think today is the right day to walk her around, hanging after your arm? You have another woman to accompany, Sesshomaru"

At that, Rin stared shamefully at the floor and tried to let his arm go, but he covered the hand on his upper arm with his, effectively prohibiting her to get away.

"This guest of yours is not there yet. Besides, I have to watch over Rin. According to her looks, I may conclude you are trying to marry her off in my back", retorted her son, barely hiding his reproachfulness.

Rin's eyes widened a little at that. She hadn't that impression, after what the Lady Mother had told her while trying the dress…but of course, her lord didn't know what had transpired between them the day before.

Sasori blinked a few times and then smirked a little. "Now that would bother you …I merely made sure she looks proper for the occasion…unlike you". Her lips became a thin line. "You are underdressed…You look like you are going to war or something…"

He just frowned at that. "Exhibiting wealth is irrelevant. Today is about demonstrating power", he shot back, frostily.

The Lady Mother smiled at that, but eyes stayed unwavering. "You might look more and more like your father and share his peculiar tastes, you are still such a bold boy…Too proud to see how careless you are right now…"

His frown went deeper.

"Whatever happens today, you are the only one to blame", he retorted dryly.

And with that he left, Rin following discreetly, a bit shocked. What was that fight all about?

They got bothered again, shortly after, by the baron Hatsuno.

"My lord", he said, bowing.

Sesshomaru stared at him with piercing eyes, unmoving; in a manner that Rin deciphered as "state your business so you can get out of my sight as soon as possible". She always felt like her lord didn't like him very much.

"There have been movements of demons and humans at the southern borders. What should we do?", the vassal inquired curtly.

"How many?", the youkai lord asked, mildly interested.

"I would say around thirty humans wandering around and close to a hundred demon archers. They are fighting each other and might trespass soon…"

"…Increase surveillance, we will intervene tomorrow", he ordered.

Hatsuno nodded again. "My thanks, Lord Sesshomaru. I would have warned you as soon as I got this report last night, but we couldn't find you…"

Rin stopped breathing.

"Of course. There were intrusions on Nozomi's fief as well. We acted while we still could", Sesshomaru replied matter-of-factly.

"Nozomi's turf has been hit? It sure looks like they think the wedding was the right time to strike", commented the vassal.

"Pointless… All intruders will die soon enough. Is there anything else, Hatsuno?"

"That is all. I will leave you to your other obligations", he replied as he bowed. Hatsuno stared briefly at Rin. She tried not to shudder; this vassal might be publicly polite, she was quite certain he despised her, his purple eyes barely hiding their contempt.

And with that they were finally left alone…well not really, the corridors were full, and she felt many eyes on them, but there were no further interruption.

"Stop looking down", Sesshomaru said in a low voice, all of a sudden.

"What?", she inquired.

"You look submissive. You shouldn't be…"

"I'm sorry if I am a little intimidated by all the attention, my lord…"

"Do not show it. If someone looks at you in the eyes, never look away."

Rin thought about that a moment. "You want me to behave like you…"

"Yes."

She needed to state the obvious.

"But I'm no foreign demon noble…I'm just a human!", she whispered with a hint of panic.

"That irrelevant. You are under my protection. If anyone challenges you, it is the same as if they defy me."

"So…whoever looks at me in the eyes…whoever does that, you tell me I go into a stare fight until they look down?"

"Yes."

"There are not exceptions?", she inquired doubtfully.

"Me and my mother, obviously."

"And what about the Lady of the Central Lands?", Rin asked boldly.

Sesshomaru gave a sideways glance. "She is a guest and is out of her territory, even Lady Amane owes you respect."

Rin gulped. "O-okay!"

She felt the need to change the subject. She felt her cheeks grow hot again.

"Besides…the thing about Nozomi's fief…I mean it's-it's…"

He raised an elegant eyebrow.

"It's not true, right?"

"Why wouldn't it be?", he inquired indifferently.

Rin wasn't sure she should keep going.

"Well…I thought it was an alibi for…". She felt even hotter.

"Alibi? Do I have something to hide?", he asked back curtly.

She looked at him, a bit unbelieving. "Well…"

He frowned. The simple answer to that simple question was supposed to be no. He hoped she wouldn't bring up…

"The _thing_ in my room…", she whispered the lowest she could, but it was still loud enough for at least half a dozen people to hear, including the lecherous groom and a few foreign guests who had already arrived. Now he could feel Tenmaru's smirk in his back and there was no way he could murder him the day of his wedding.

Great…just great…He stared back at her, frowning reproachfully.

"W-what?", she asked with embarrassment.

"Have you started reading your new book Rin?", he asked, out of the blue.

"What? N-no…", she whispered, afraid of where this was going.

"Because it looks like you had sweet dreams", he retorted dryly.

Rin looked petrified, now he almost felt bad for her…

"I-I-I…oh Kami! I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru! I feel so ashamed!", she exclaimed, bit of pink showing off on her cheeks.

"Forget it", he stated as they arrived in the main entrance, a crowd already there. Rin was amazed to see the Lady Mother had outpaced them. She bowed and let him go next to her. They had to greet the most eminent guests.

"So…was it good?", whispered Tenmaru, with a smirk, appearing next to her.

"Wh-what?"

"The dream…", he added, with self-satisfaction.

She wanted to die when she realized many people had apparently heard what had transpired.

"I won't answer that", she finally said with mortification.

"Oh sweet Rin, do not be so troubled. I am simply glad your fertile imagination is already at play…", he replied with amusement.

"Please…This is not what you think it is…", she tried to fight back.

He laughed…hard…

"Can we change the subject?", she whispered miserably.

"Oh yes, we cannot miss the arrival of the Lady of the Central Lands now, we must track her and ruin her day", he replied, with a determined frown.

"You must be joking, right?", replied Rin. "I don't think it is wise to mess around with her…"

"She sure mess around with us with her damn wild tribes!", he whispered with irritation. "Let's just hope our lord won't forget to remind her…"

"Why would he?", questioned Rin.

"Well, you must know right?", he answered incredulously, his dark blue eyes widening.

"What should I know?", she questioned innocently.

He frowned. "They didn't tell you…"

"What?!", she asked impatiently.

He looked worriedly in the Lord and Ladies of the Western Lands' direction before sneaking up close, to whisper…

"They have…history!", he hissed.

He looked away just in time to avoid a glare from Lady Sasori, that didn't go unnoticed to the human ward.

"I suppose it would be unwise to question more, right?", she asked knowingly, yet she felt compelled to try.

"Yeah…Sorry…", he replied, while bowing for a few guests passing in front of them.

Rin frowned. She knew there was something wrong with that Lady Amane. Yet, she had the impression the wave of worry flowing through her at that present moment might be unjustified…Sesshomaru's reactions had been so hostile when he spoke of her, whatever history there was, Rin thought it had to be very negative.

"There she is…", Tenmaru whispered, clenching his teeth.

He truly didn't seem to like her…Rin stared back at the entrance, but for now she only saw a herald.

"Daughter of Sakuza the Second of his name and Lady Dora. Sorceress of tempests, singer of the rain, protector of the Heart Mountains, meet Empress Amane, leader of the Central Kingdom"

Rin glimpsed at Sesshomaru's mother as she turned towards her son, Rin read on her lips a very clear "empress", emphasized with puzzlement on her face. Sesshomaru just answered her with a dark look.

Everyone stopped talking. And then Rin saw her. She stopped breathing.

Walking in a slow and gracious pace was a woman, not very tall, not stern either, very delicate…she looked almost juvenile…but Rin thought she had elven features. She was absolutely beautiful. It was so sunny as she approached, that it was as if she was drawing light. She had long white wavy hair…so pristine, the glimpse of sunlight on her head as she came in was enough to blind a few guest. Her dress was pale blue, matching perfectly her immense azure eyes, so wide it must be easy to sink into them. She didn't even have colour on her lips, probably aware her eyes were her most prominent feature. She had some ethereal aura around her…like an enchantress coming straight from heaven.

But what was worst was her reaction when she came across Lord Sesshomaru…her guarded blue eyes having suddenly little sparks in them. She smiled. Rin felt her jaw clench. She had the most splendid and genuine smile.

"Lord Sesshomaru", she said, with a low, and misty voice. "It has been a while."

He looked at her, expressionless, yet intent. "It has", he stated enigmatically.

"You have changed a little. I think…you have embellished", she added.

And then she didn't bow or do any formal salutation. She simply hugged him. He didn't push her away, he simply put a hand on her delicate back, politely answering the kind gesture.

Rin's blood left her face. For a few second, she felt dizzy, nauseous even, then she felt like she was going to faint, her jaw so tight she felt like her teeth were about to break in her mouth. She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she just ignored it.

Then she knew what it felt like…She never felt it so strongly before…

Jealously. Powerful, greenish, seething jealousy. She wanted to scream and cry all at once. The feeling was impossible to bear.

She never thought she would be this type of woman, and there she was, losing all her composure because of a smile and a hug…

Then Lady Amane passed by, holding the upper arm of the Lord of the Western Lands, apparently coming in their direction. Rin never looked down, her eyes glued on the couple as the empress congratulated the groom, joked about the bride who had to hide until the celebration, and then Amane glanced at her, mild curiosity in her huge eyes…Rin stood there, staring, expressionless, for a few seconds, before remembering her manners. She smiled and bowed.

"This is Rin. She is my ward", informed Sesshomaru neutrally.

"It is an honour…Lady Amane", Rin whispered.

And then she felt some cold hand on her chin, she looked up, and saw the lady examine her.

Rin wondered of what right she thought she could just hold her face like that.

"She's a human?", she asked in a whisper, as she glanced back at Sesshomaru.

"Indeed", retorted Rin, blankly, staring at her, before he could answer.

The azure eyes blinked a few times. "I am amazed. You don't look like one", she observed, seemingly a little puzzled.

Rin wanted to ask if she had ever seen a human from her ivory tower before, but to preserve her dear life she decided against it.

"Shall we continue?", inquired the youkai lord.

The lady nodded and smiled at Rin before going toward another guest. Sesshomaru hadn't glanced at his ward a single time.

Apparently, she was the only guest left to greet, as most people in the entrance were now walking in the corridors, towards the court. Rin walked alone, absently. Apparently, even Tenmaru was gone, she supposed he had other stuff to do…

Rin hadn't noticed the Lady Mother was walking next to her, glancing at her.

"Little Rin…are you crying?", she asked suddenly.

Rin blinked and swallowed back everything that made her eyes a bit too glossy.

"N-no…"

Lady Sasori smiled in what Rin thought was supposed to be a comprehensive fashion.

"I can relate more than you think", she stated neutrally.

Rin didn't answer.

"He needs a heir. She is from the purest bloodline. And they got along, once", Sasori reasoned.

Rin hadn't even the strength to fight back. She felt lost, she felt betrayed, she felt numb. Suddenly, she wanted this day to end as soon as possible, pack her things and go back to her human lands, cry on her futon, and grief Kohaku until the end of times. Kohaku never looked at another woman. There was just her. Only her, and no "you aren't pure enough" or "immortal enough" debates. Things were so simple with Kohaku…so simple and so reassuring…

She felt so stupid…She should have known. What could she be to her lord, aside from his ward? Some distraction? A…lover? Maybe so…maybe not…One thing was certain: she could never hope for anything this very noble, beautiful and lovable demon woman could achieve with him. She was just a human, a commoner with naked feet, hidden under fine silk, who would wither and die before all of them, unable to birth anything that her lord wouldn't consider an abomination. She felt like felt trash that needed to be dumped at all cost.

But for now, she put a hand on her delicately painted mouth, trying to shallow back the lump in her throat, and smiled sweetly as they all gathered around the sacred shrine, waiting for the celebrations to begin.

…

Rin stared at the crowd, in hopes to find someone she knew. There were so many foreign faces, all staring at her, with either curiosity, disdain or admiration. She supposed the tolerance towards humans was varied among the visitors. This was a little disconcerting. The servants in the mansion had quickly got used to her and she hadn't felt like an outcast for a long while…now she felt like she was a lamb around a pack of carnivorous beasts…

"Psssst! Over here!", called Nozomi.

Rin looked right, and spotted her fox-friend. She had even kept a spot for her. She smiled, at least she had found some company.

"Oh my gosh Rin, you are so pretty!", she exclaimed with bewilderment. "Did he said you were magnificent again?", she asked with a teasing smile.

"Something about being angel-looking…I don't remember…", replied Rin with an unusual lack of enthusiasm.

"What's wrong?", Nozomi asked worriedly.

"Did you know Lady Amane and Lord Sesshomaru have some…history?", Rin asked uneasily.

"What?!"

"So you didn't know…"

"Of course…you girls are too young", replied a woman, in front of them.

She turned back, showing mysterious eyes, hair tied in a bun, with a fan trying to cool off her face. Rin blinked a few times.

"Do we know each other?"

"Of course…famous little ward…absolutely not romantically involved with the Lord of the Western lands", commented the woman, then she stared at the ruby pendant. "That's a sun right?"

"Oh Lady Kizuisen!", exclaimed Rin. "I'm sorry, you look different than last time…How is Kachikimaru?", she asked politely.

"We broke up after the love-charm incident", she replied dryly.

"I'm so sorry to hear that…"

"Meh…Well I suppose I could conquer him back, if I got rid of that marital disgrace…", she commented. "You know, your lord is verrry long to submit that question to his council of his…"

"Well, he has been very busy lately. I'm sure it will be solved soon…", reassured Rin, but she wouldn't be surprised he lord wasn't trying very hard to solve these domestic affairs now that the peace was back on the eastern borders.

"I'm growing a little impatient, Lady Rin, do you think you could persuade him to solve this at once with this lovely voice of yours?", she asked with pleading eyes.

"Well…I-I can try to talk to him, but I can't guarantee…"

"Please…if you do this for me, I will tell you everything there is to know about this Lady Amane", Kizuisen purred tentatively.

"You know what happened?", inquired Rin with a blush.

"Of course…Your Lord and I are about the same age…I was there when they met", she replied with a wicked smile.

"Oh Kami! It's a deal then!", replied Nozomi, overexcited.

"Hey!", protested Rin.

"Oh come on! You want to know even more than I do!", retorted the kitsune-demon.

" Okay okay...maybe you're right", admitted Rin, crossing her arms. "You have a deal…"

Kizuisen smiled. "I think they'll start soon, so I'll try to make this quick for you…"

"Go ahead!", ordered the fox-demon.

"…A few centuries back…There was a ball at the Western Palace…the old one…it was to celebrate Lord Inu Taisho's victory in his war against the feline tribes. Lord Sesshomaru…just Sesshomaru at the time, had also been involved in the fight…"

"How old was he?", wondered Rin with curiosity.

"Oh I don't know…but he was very young…barely an adult. But even then, he was stunning. I believe it was one of his first fights at his father's side. He had impressed everyone…Back then, I was soooo infatuated with him…like every maidens of the Lands", replied the demon woman dreamily. She cooled off her face with her fan. "Anyway…This was quite an epic battle…but the Western Lands worked together with the Central Lands to push them back…and they won. So now you understand why there was a ball…"

"And that's where they met…", continued Rin, slightly frowning.

"Ah yes. That's the fun part", replied Kizuisen. "You know…The Central and Western Lands were rarely in the best of terms…East, Central and West tend to be rival and fight for domination all the time, while the Nord and South tend to be quieter. But during the war involving felines, the Centre and the West had grown a little closer. Their collaboration to push back the cats had been such a success Lord Inu Taisho and Lady Sasori had meetings with their council…my father was one of their councillor back then. He told me they were trying to find ways to be closer to the Centre on a permanent basis, so they wouldn't fight each other all the time anymore…"

"They wanted to unite?", asked Rin, remembering some conversation with her Lord, slowly putting pieces together…He had told her very dryly that a union between the Heartlands and Western Lands was "pure fiction"…That must mean the story had to end badly…

"Well no…not unite…not quite, anyway, Inu Taisho was very proud –like his son– and he wasn't quite ready for such a bold move. But he knew he had to try to sign some treaty with Lord Sakuza. He thought, that if only they stopped fighting each other, and maybe, agreed on some balance of powers, things could be much simpler…and peaceful…", explained Kizuisen, thoughtful. "And then…Lady Sasori had a brilliant plan…"

"Involving Lady Amane, I bet…", replied Rin.

"Yesssss…you are a smart one, miss ward", she replied with a smile. "Her son was now a gorgeous stripling…and she was eager to present him to his first prospective pretender…"

"Oh Kami…and it was her…", whispered Rin, face palming.

"Yes…Hahaha, I remember, the little lordling was so unenthusiastic during these celebrations…until he saw her…", Kizuisen whispered, a glint devilish. "Lady Amane was the same as you see her today: slight, and fairy look-alike, and mysterious…She was bold also." Lady Kizuisen stopped a moment, staring at Rin thoughtfully, her index on her chin "In fact, she had this sweetheart temper, just like you, it's funny…Anyway…She just sat next to him, so unafraid, even though he was so hostile and sullen, and she started babbling about her trainings to become one of the most powerful sorceress, and she started talking power and conquests…and then I think that got his attention…you know how much he lusts for power and glory all the time, he was the same back then…"

"He fell in love with her…", whispered Rin, suddenly feeling ill again. Sesshomaru…falling in love…that seemed unreal…

"He fell hard for her. It was soo sooo obvious in his face, staring at her all night, every little detail, from her finger in her curls, to the movement of her lips when she spoke…I wonder if he even listened to what she said…Anyway… They danced that night, and it was so beautiful –and I was sooo jealous but that's another matter– anyway, they truly looked infatuated with each other, I think it must be as close to love at first sight as it can be…"

"What happened after that night?", asked Rin, eager to hear the rest…the part where it ends badly.

"Yes…well basically, after being infatuated with each other all night –we won't speculate over what they did do and what they didn't do, nobody is even sure and it's still the source of some juicy speculations even today– Lord Sakuza, his lady Dora and beloved daughter got back to their own lands and didn't do much to reach back to the West. Of course, Inu Taisho, being the passionate romantic he was, and his mate, cold opportunist thinking of land expansion, confronted their dear son about it, and inquired if he wanted lady Amane as his betrothed. He must have said yes, because Inu Taisho wrote a letter to Lord Sakuza, inquiring if a union between their heirs was a possibility…And this is basically where the love story ends between the Centre, the West, Sesshomaru and Amane"

"Lord Sakuza said no?", wondered Rin.

"Oh worse than that. He said yes, but under one condition…", replied Lady Kizuisen with a dark look. "His daughter in exchange for the West. He requested for an immediate indexation of the Western Lands to the Central Empire…nothing less…"

Nozomi gasped. "That must have infuriated Lord Inu Taisho!"

"You bet…Inu Taisho was so mad, insulted, deeply infuriated. My father often says "angry as Inu Taisho over Amane's affair" as a saying", replied Kizuisen with a smirk, it faded. "Then it turned out to be a dark era for the eastern borders. The frontiers basically just closed and collaborations were over…for at least a century and a half, and even after that, relations were cold and practical…and it didn't improve when Lord Sesshomaru took over"

"It's so incredible…I can't believe I had never heard of this story…", whispered Nozomi, trying to spot the mysterious Lady Amane.

"Well you've never heard of it because it's taboo. The only reason I dared speak of this is because I know the Lord and Lady of the Western Lands are far in the crowd, and there is no way they can hear us…But it's a very big historical moment for the Western Lands, even though nobody but would dare qualifying it that way…"

"You spoke of Inu Taisho's reaction…but what about Sesshomaru. What was his reaction to all of this?", asked Rin, with a hint of sadness.

"Oh dear…He wasn't a huge talker back then, and it became even worse. I've heard only rumours, but it was said that when he learned of Lord Sakuza's proposition, he was so mad…He saw this as a betrayal of Lady Amane…he felt fooled, tricked… I personally think Lord Sesshomaru is indifferent to womanhood because of her. After this story, he pushed away every woman –and there were a lot- that Inu Taisho and Lady Sasori shoved in his direction…They tried more submissive prospective consorts…some trophy wives or princesses unable to fight. They thought it would be a safer bet…"

"I think it's starting now", whispered Rin, absently.

"Now you will talk to him about what I need, right Lady Rin?", inquired Kizuisen with a flirty smile.

Rin nodded with a polite smile and they watched the celebration. Rin felt her lips quiver as she saw her Lord with Lady Amane, arms in arms, only for such a small part of the celebration, yet still so painful… Kizuisen's words still echoing in her lost mind…Lady Amane, beautiful and fairy-like, bold and sweetheart…she was pretty sure she heard the Lady Mother use at least some of these when talking about herself, and Tenmaru certainly used them all when flirting with her…Was this why Sesshomaru showed her some not-so-remote interest since her arrival to the Western Lands, she looked like some human-looking version of the first love he could never consume?

She thought it was something else. She thought it was because she had expressed her desire to know him better before choosing what her life was going to be. She thought it was because there were some sort incomprehensible connection happening as soon as they began talking with each other…his laughing eyes when she was messing around, her butterflies when he was holding her, burning ambers when dancing with her…dancing…he had also danced with _her_ before…Rin wondered if Lady Amane had looked like a _swan_ back then…

Rin looked absently at her Lord bring Kishiko to the altar. He was so handsome, and ethereal…He was a wonder the first time she saw him, injured in the woods, trying to shoo her away…and then a crazy dream imprinted in her mind and soul forever, from the moment she had woken up in his arms, when still a puny child, after he had revived her with Tenseiga. Rin smiled sadly She had been the _first_ Sesshomaru revived with Tenseiga…there was at least one first Lady Amane couldn't take away from her…

…

Some people were still cheering the newlyweds, as Sesshomaru glanced back, silently searching for Rin. He had lost sight of her, from the moment he had strolled out the corridors toward the sacred shrine, with the Lady of the Heartlands clinging to his arm.

"That was such a beautiful celebration, my lord", commented Lady Amane with her misty voice, as they walked back toward his mansion, holding his arm again with both hands. "And those flowers…this is such a colourful and pleasant touch!"

"My ward did that", he replied, absently. He disliked the iciness of her hands, holding him with such a resolve he felt she wanted his arm to go numb.

"Oh…", she answered, blinking a few times. "The human one?"

He didn't bother with an answer, still searching for her. He glanced at every pale dress, turned his head each time he heard some cheerful laughs, but she was nowhere to be found. He was also unable to detect her scent in such a crowd. He frowned, silently wondering where his human ward might want to go, after being surrounded by so many demons staring at her. He glanced at his left and finally spotted her, under a sakura tree, talking to the fox girl. Of course…Rin is Rin. Even though the whole place was covered in flowers, she would still go for the spot with the most abundant vegetation.

She didn't seem to notice him, as she walked back toward the mansion as well, using some discreet shortcut, as if she wanted to avoid attracting attention. Now she was out of sight again…

"So…how are you faring my lord? I've heard only wonderful stories about your previous conquests. Tell me more about your victory at the southern valleys…"

"There isn't much to say. These zones are scarcely populated", he replied neutrally, not wanting to give too many details. He knew Lady Amane had conquered the lands East of the southern valleys, and he was a bit irritated by it, as he intended to take these lands for himself. But she didn't need to know that.

"Any new project in the short term for your realm?", she inquired.

"Not for now", he replied, feeling the time was ripe for an offensive of his own. "In fact, we were busy with a few security issues. Wandering intruders required immediate intervention."

"Oh…I hope they aren't too numerous", she mused worriedly.

"No, those are mere distractions", he observed, almost innocently. He glanced at her. "Are you confronted to errant beasts as well?"

She blinked. "No, not really…my empire is currently very peaceful"

"Hmph…I expected you would have more of them than I do", he commented, still watching her big blue eyes. "Last reports I had from the East were gruesome."

"The East? I wouldn't know…we don't talk to the East, they are wild, not collaborative, and allow human villages on their territories", she replied with disdain.

"So you wouldn't know if these beasts are responsible for the East's demise?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She blinked. "Why would the East be defeated?", she asked innocently.

"They have stopped exchanging correspondence", he replied, matter-of-factly.

"Why would you even want to talk to them in the first place? If you want my friendly advice, you aren't losing anything, Sesshomaru. We don't need them", she responded haughtily.

"They had some valuable knowledge about the wandering culprits disturbing the West's peacefulness. I am not certain where these scaled beasts come from", he commented, darting a sideways glance again.

"Scaled beasts? There are scaled beasts everywhere, my dear Sesshomaru!", she replied with a smile. "In the icy mountains, in the eastern ocean…"

"But none in the Heartlands", he replied, frowning suspiciously.

She grinned. "I told you my realm is safe, my lord, but these idle talk are tiring me a little. We should get ourselves ready for our first dance in two centuries", she suggested with a playful smile.

"Hmph"

He hid his scepticism. He remembered this Lady talked a lot, but what he didn't remember was her obsessiveness at dodging every question regarding this "empire" of hers. Did she really thought he ignored the nomads were coming from her lands? He decided to let go of subtle strategies…but he wasn't done with her yet.

…

Green…green envy consumed her bowels as the first waltz started…Tenmaru and Kishiko, going on swiftly and beautifully, laughing at each other with their silly and not so innocent jokes…Rin was pretty sure they loved each other much more than they were willing to admit.

And then it was their turn, Lord of the Western Lands and Lady of the Heartlands. Rin understood Nozomi's comments mcuh better …Sesshomaru was very…very handsome in a ballroom, not a single slow and suave movement spilled, making Lady Amane twirl like some beautiful fairy…Strangely, she didn't fly very much for a fairy, but in her state of mind, Rin could only see the bad…They looked so perfect in each other's arms: pale and noble, dainty fairy with elegant warrior…Rin saw him glance absently in her direction, but something Lady Amane said brought his attention back to her…

Rin felt like all this beauty was pure acid to her poor eyes. She looked away…Her lips quivered…she suddenly wanted to scream so bad, jump on Lady Sasori for making her the backup lady and tear her beautiful white hair, strip herself from her Western Lands colours and run like a mute and wild child in the forest. Nobody would chase her if she became some solitary wildling of the forest…and she wouldn't have any problems with boyfriends dying, or impossible loves coming so close, touching her hair in the middle of the night, a silent and forbidden promise… only to slide through her fingers…

Some random demon boys and men invited her to dance. She didn't refuse. She didn't mind. Most of them were just curious, nobody displaying inappropriate behaviour, the colours she wore probably deterring them from trying anything fishy. She never glanced back at her Lord, who wasn't really _hers _anyway…

And then after some never-ending and mundane afternoon and evening, they would soon be called for dinner…and Rin wasn't looking forward to it…She didn't want to see him close to his beloved long-lost fairy…If it was her evil father who broke them up long ago, nothing kept them away from each other now…Sesshomaru might look at her finger twirl in her snow-white curls, and at her lips while she spoke…all over again…

…Rin briefly wondered if he was going to whisper sweet nothings to her ear too…

Then she briefly wondered if she could just skip dinner…She silently scoffed. He would glare at her with his beautiful amber eyes as she would walk away from this all, but she couldn't care less. Now she just needed to find a good excuse…

"Sweet Rin…", whispered a deep and smooth voice.

She shivered in excitement, before realizing it wasn't _his_ voice…and he never called her _sweet Rin!_ She glanced back at Tenmaru, proudly smirking at her…His imitation was more credible than Nozomi's…

"We haven't heard your chirping this afternoon…", he commented.

He was answered only with a dark look from hers.

"Oh ridiculous, why am I even asking this question?", he wondered to himself. He smirked. "It is time to execute the emergency plan"

Rin's features lightened up a little. "A plan?"

"Yes…", he whispered. "I know what is troubling you…sweet Rin…and he shall pay at once…"

She looked at him worriedly.

"The Lady Amane sure is trying hard to win his attention…", commented Kishiko, while looking at the couple…what Rin had stopped to do hours ago.

"She's just so beautiful…", whispered Rin, with a pained expression.

"Pfff! She's just another pale noble…nothing like the exotic human beauty you are", Tenmaru retorted, flirty.

"Your new wife is just next to you, Tenmaru", Rin replied self-consciously.

"No worries…I agree with him. You are such a refreshing and attractive maiden", added Kishiko with a playful smile. "And I don't like to see love being spoiled...especially the day of my wedding."

"It's not what you think it is", tried to explain Rin.

Tenmaru laughed hard again, Kishiko just smiled mockingly, in a Kagome-ish way.

Rin sighed…she supposed that trying to repeat that silly lie wasn't doing any good anymore…

"I'm mad like you…sweet Rin, he is much too polite with his little escort…", Tenmaru started spitefully, but then he smirked. "I did see him glance a few times in your direction, when you were dancing with other boys…I think we could tease his possessiveness just a bit… "

"You know…Lady Sasori explicitly asked me not to distract him today", insisted Rin…even though Tenmaru's evil plot was already tempting some corrupted part of her soul…demons be damned…

"Oh don't worry sweet Rin…Leave the hard work to me…Just play along… a bit", he said with a playful smile.

Rin wasn't sure she liked she evil glint in his eyes, but just this once, she thought Sesshomaru's cousin might be her saviour.

"You may approach the tables", called a herald.

Rin gulped. Tenmaru and his wife looked at each other with devilish smirks.

"Now now…first part of the plan…", he whispered as they moved forward… "I want you next to me. So I can have Kishiko to my left, and you to my right…"

"But…that is Lady Sasori's place…", protested Rin.

The cousin shushed her as they approached the table of honour. Some relatives of his and Lady Kishiko's were already there…They sat, as according to plan. Quite easy for now…

And then…Lord Sesshomaru and his escort appeared…Lady Amane talking profusely and nostalgically of some old war. Rin tried to chase away the wave of nausea coming and smiled sweetly as they sat. Lady Amane didn't even glance at her, but Sesshomaru did raise a questioning eyebrow, apparently noticing she wasn't where she belonged. Rin then realized stealing Sasori's place meant sitting in front of him, and diagonally of Lady Amane…Now that was some delicate location, especially since the dining room was now so full and the tables were narrower than the usual ones…which meant she was straight in _his_ face. It will be hard to just ignore him…

Still…he didn't bother with verbal comments. She was glad…until a pair of citrine coloured eyes stared down at her, Sasori arriving not-so-strategically last, and apparently determined to make the mistake known.

She leaned a little so she could speak to Rin's ear.

"Now now…Rin…Do you think you can sit at the Lady of the West's official seat just like that?"

Rin felt an icy wave engulf her…she hadn't realized that vicious implications of Tenmaru's plan.

"Oh dear aunt…Do not blame _my_ _sweet Rin_, now. She is there at my request", Tenmaru replied courteously.

Sasori stared at him quite…angrily…Rin thought.

"Tenmaru…You can't be serious…", she whispered dangerously.

Rin wanted to disappear so bad…

"Please dear aunt…you know how Rin and I get along, and she has to get acquainted to my beloved consort! I won't stand to have her so far away!", he protested childishly.

"Still it's…"

"It's a request of the groom, dear Lady of the West. Would you be so generous and indulge us with Rin's presence for this feast? You know how human lives are short, it might be the last occasion", he begged with a sweet smile.

"I would love it too. Tenmaru can't stop talking about her, Lady Sasori", insisted Kishiko sweetly.

Sesshomaru raised a suspicious eyebrow, apparently aware that something was up. Sasori just sighed and then smiled politely at her nephew.

"…What would I look like if I refused a request to the newly weds?", she mused. She leaned down to Rin's level, again.

"Don't forget to be as good as gold now, _sweet Rin_", she whispered.

The human just smiled innocently.

Then it was quiet for some time, Rin trying hard not to stare at the person in front of her, but she couldn't help but glance once in a while. She noticed Lady Amane wouldn't stop talking, while Sesshomaru just listened, he was partly turned in his escort's direction, but never looking at her straight in the eyes, apparently staring at something very far away from the table forever. There was no way to guess what he was thinking, or even listening, but at least he wasn't staring at her lips. Rin thought Lady Amane looked a bit annoying; she wondered why Sesshomaru had found her interesting in the first place. She didn't even seem to notice her companion had probably spaced out long ago.

Then after some time, he glanced in her direction, aware of her examination. She just smiled quickly and looked away, in search of some other source of distraction…

She looked to her left and noticed Kishiko and Tenmaru's families…all dog demons, they looked a bit different than Sesshomaru and his mother…They weren't very stern, in fact, they seemed very colourful characters…talking loudly, and so numerous…she had difficulty counting them all, or discerning who were the parents, and the children…

"Tenmaru…you didn't acquaint me to your family", observed Rin, seeking some welcomed distraction…Formal presentations would take a while…

He sweetly obliged, presenting at first some brothers and sisters, and half brothers and half sisters, until he reached his parents…

"Ichigo, my father…Keza, my sweet mother and his second consort…Almeda, my father's first paramour…"

"Paramour?", asked Rin.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…"

"What is a paramour?", Rin asked innocently.

Tenmaru smirked. She wasn't sure, but Sesshomaru might have glanced in her direction.

Then she realized she might have asked some dangerous question.

"You don't know what a paramour is, Rin?", inquired Kishiko with amazement.

"Crazy huh?", commented Tenmaru.

"Some of Tenmaru's half brothers and sisters are children of the paramours…Both our parents have a few", Kishiko explained. "You are aware we are polygamists, right?"

"Um yes…I had assumed that already…", she replied with a bit of embarrassment. And she had thought Tenmaru was just a flirt before this very day… "So I suppose a paramour is some sort of lover?", asked Rin.

"More than that. Their rights are almost the same as the consorts…they are mates without the marital engagement", explained Tenmaru.

Rin blinked a few times. "Wow…and there's no jealousy or anything?"

"Nah, not really. One primary rule of having many mates is to love everyone equally", he replied with a grin. "And before you ask…yes, we will have paramours, sweet Rin…"

She hadn't asked…not necessarily wanting to know…but she assumed she should just let them talk…

"Both of us will", added Kishiko with a smirk. "But we've established our union on sharing and mutual respect, so each time we'll want a new paramour, we will seek each other's consent before…"

"Yeah…we've already spotted a few prospective ones for the future", added Tenmaru with a playful smirk.

"I am not surprised", commented Lady Sasori, not so discreetly.

"Oh what now? Judging our ways again, dear aunt?", retorted Tenmaru.

Lady Amane laughed heartily. "Oh I find you entertaining Tenmaru-kun. Your paramour talks is so refreshing…"

"So polygamy is not everywhere on demon lands right?", asked Rin with curiosity, turning toward the Lady of the Central Lands, forgetting her contempt for a short while.

"Oh of course not. Customs in the Heartlands are not so…libertine…", Amane commented with an amused smile.

"They aren't in the Western Lands either. They are only doing that close to the Northern borders…", added Sesshomaru, apparently wanting to set the record straight.

By now, if Rin wasn't entirely sure where they stood, she thought it was pretty obvious Sesshomaru and his mother weren't too fond of some of their bloodline's customs.

"Pfff! Your southern territories are open minded too", defended Tenmaru. "As a matter of fact, do I need to remind you Inu Taisho was polygamous himself, for a part of his life?"

"That's false", answered Sesshomaru with irritation.

"Oh please", retorted Tenmaru with a smirk. "Do I have to spell her name?"

"It was a fling", explained Sesshomaru matter-of-factly, wanting to cut short at anything related to Inu-Yasha's mother.

"Your father called her paramour, do not deny it", replied Tenmaru.

"He did", admitted Sasori, frowning. "I wished I would have had half the attention he gave her during that fling of theirs", she commented with contempt.

"You humans are boring monogamous as well, right?", Tenmaru asked suddenly, looking at Rin.

"Well, yes", she replied.

"Now that's boring…anyway, if you want to quit indefinitely a boring human life, rest assured sweet Rin, we would be happy to make you our first paramour, if you like", he added with a sly smile, putting an arm on her shoulder.

Rin's eyes widened dramatically. Sesshomaru almost spat his drink.

"Wh-whaat?", she asked incredulously. "I'm part of your prospective lovers?!"

"Well yes, I told you we are planning this already…", he replied with a grin.

"Tenmaru, just stop talking", ordered Sesshomaru with obvious loathe. "And get your hands off her."

"Oh please, she's not yours, right? Don't take this in the wrong way…my new wife and I just think Rin is such a beautiful young woman: tall legs, hourglass figure…", replied Tenmaru

"Silky skin, endearing doe eyes, fabulous hair…", added Kishiko with a grin, stretching her arm to touch Rin's hair with glee.

"Oh and I especially like the creamy coloured skin of her neck, and the nice curve of her hips on which I enjoyed resting my hands during the dancing lessons", Tenmaru insisted. "But, you may have noticed a few things yourself already…like her nice arch in her lower back or how her thin waist fits so marvellously in male hands…"

Rin facepalmed, she was truly mortified. Sesshomaru hid his anger and some other emotion he wouldn't bother acknowledging behind a very thick armour of impassiveness, not holding any glass or chopstick, thinking he might break something.

"Now that you are all speaking so boldly of your customs, would you indulge me, Tenmaru, and explain to me why you would take a human woman as lover?", asked Lady Amane with curiosity, oblivious to the lecherous cousin's past insinuations.

He looked at her incredulously. "Why not?"

She looked at him strangely. "Well. Do I need to state what is so obvious? Human dilute purity and power of bloodlines, and they have such a short lifespan…"

Rin looked down, hating her again.

"Who cares? Love is not a permanent feeling anyway. A human life is long enough to have good memories", replied Tenmaru. "And there are some gorgeous creatures in human lands…Much more interesting than many demon women, in fact…"

Lady Amane blinked a few times, and decided to ignore the cousin, staring back at Sesshomaru.

"I was curious because there seems to be a wave of…interbreeding on my lands, it is getting complicated to manage…What do you do to avoid hanyou proliferation?"

Sesshomaru looked at her with a tad of puzzlement. "Hanyou proliferation?"

"Yes…I assume you have the same issue?", she insisted

Rin stared up. Sesshomaru looked annoyed. "We do not get involved in domestic affairs."

Lady Amane blinked a few times. "Don't you have rules to follow?"

"Rules prohibiting hanyou proliferation? They were banned many centuries ago on the Western Lands, Amane", replied Sesshomaru's mother.

"So you approve interbreeding?", she asked again, apparently surprised.

"We have no positions. We simply chose not to spill resources on such a trivial matter", retorted Sesshomaru emotionlessly.

"Why the hell should we be against this anyway?", shot back Tenmaru with irritation.

"It just seems so odd to me. We have prohibited this…practice… for reasons that I thought obvious…those reasons are practical and moral", replied Amane. "Even if hanyous were considered acceptable, how can human women take care of their child with their limited lifespan? Demons take much longer to grow…That would create some sad situations…"

"Well…maybe Rin could answer to that?", wondered Lady Sasori out loud, genuinely interested.

Rin just shrugged. "I-I…I've never seen any problems of the sort", she stammered, feeling self-conscious with such a delicate topic.

"You know mixed couples?", wondered Lady Amane, surprised.

"Well, yes. Among my friends are…Sesshomaru's half brother Inu-Yasha and his human wife Kagome", replied Rin. "They have two children together and everything works fine. They only have very diluted demon blood, but I think they are beautiful and unique", commented Rin a bit boldly.

"For how long have they been together? Isn't the human lady starting to age?", wondered Amane.

"Yes, now that Lady Amane mentions it. I've heard some interesting theories about that", commented Lady Sasori thoughtfully. "I was told Lady Izayoi stayed as pretty as the day she met Inu-Taisho, even long after his death…"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow; apparently unaware of that rumour…it wasn't like him to follow gossips, but this one intrigued him a little.

Rin sipped her drink for a while, more and more self-conscious as time passed by. "Yes…Inu-Yasha talked to me about it."

"So it's true?", wondered Sasori.

"Well…I've never seen his mother…but Inu-Yasha seems to agree with this theory…"

"What about the Kagome woman? Does she age?", asked Amane again, a bit too interested in that topic for Rin's taste.

Rin played nervously with her cup. It's true Kagome hadn't changed a bit since she came back from her world to live with them. Sometimes, Miroku would even joke around, saying Kagome and her looked like twin sisters. But for some reason, Rin felt that sharing this simple anecdote could be a problem. Lady Amane might start speculating in the wrong ways…

"I-I'm not sure… Kagome is only 25 years old. We don't change so much between…let's say…18 and 35 years or so…many factors can have an influence aging…"

"The human miko arrived in this world a decade ago, if I am not mistaken. Wouldn't you have noticed, even a small difference already?", insisted Amane.

Rin gave up. "I didn't notice any change. Maybe what you are talking about is true, but we won't be able to confirm before many years. You know, even Inu-Yasha's mother didn't live old enough for us to be sure of this, and it seems to be linked to the demon's lifespan too."

"Demons with shorter lifespans cannot grant their human partners with much longer lives…", mused Amane.

"We also believe this phenomenon might be linked to pregnancy", added Rin. "Kagome thinks that it's the mix of the children hanyou's blood with the human mother's during gestation that can grant a longer lifespan…"

"So you did some extensive research about this after all…", observed Lady Amane. "Interesting…"

"What a convenient excuse to take her as a paramour now", observed Tenmaru.

Sesshomaru just glared at him.

"What? Wouldn't you be happy if your human ward stopped aging?" Tenmaru asked, brushing her hair away from her shoulder in an evident attempt at showing her off. "I think it would be marvellous to freeze her look at this…convenient and beautiful moment of her life, don't you agree, Sesshomaru", Tenmaru insisted with a smirk.

Sesshomaru's jaw tensed, not willing to answer this question.

"Just stop touching her", he retorted with contempt.

"Is it something you consider, Lady Rin?", asked Amane with interest. "A mixed union?"

Rin blinked a few times, she hadn't been expecting such a direct question.

"I-I don't know. I've never thought about this", she replied, with a guarded expression.

"But you are living with demons and you seem well acquainted to the groom…you must have given some thoughts to this question…", replied Amane.

How intrusive she was…thought Rin. She didn't want to talk about this with _her_. Rin looked at Lady Amane and stared at her big azure eyes, trying not to say something she would regret later…Lady Amane stared back…that moment lasting a moment too long to be unnoticed.

"She didn't think about this, because she has recently lost her human suitor, Amane", replied Sesshomaru, dryly. "Killed by snakes demon", he specified.

"Oh…I am so sorry…I didn't know", replied the Lady, forced to look at her escort, before glancing back at the human ward.

Did he just take her defense in front of the beautiful pretender? Rin felt like she might weep from joy.

"Instead of talking some trivial talks such as interbreeding and half breed proliferation, I was thinking we could align the conversation closer to the Western Land's agenda", suggested the inuyoukai. "How do you intend to manage the snakes' invasion?", he asked, suddenly glancing at the foreign lady with great interest, displaying a tad of impatience.

"My Lord…what are you talking about?", she asked innocently.

"Your nomadic tribes have been ruthless on human villages south of here", he insisted.

"Why do you care about human lands?", she asked with confusion.

Rin tried not to frown, but she supposed that talking about humans like they were ants couldn't be helped in a youkai feast.

"Dozens of humans are stamping on my borders as we speak", Sesshomaru retorted while narrowing his eyes. "Had this concern mattered to me, I would certainly make nightmares with interbreeding issues, with all these humans seeing the Western Lands as a safe haven…"

"It's a chance this is not part of your rules then", Amane replied wisely.

"Stop the jest, I am talking territorial sovereignty here. Your nomadic tribes were seen inside my lands…numerous times. I want to know why", Sesshomaru retorted.

"I have no clue, Sesshomaru. We have peace treaties with native tribes living on my lands, but they aren't part of my people", Amane replied evasively.

"You say some of your subjects haven't bent the knee yet? How long has your family reigned over the Heartlands, Amane? I think it's somewhere in the four digits", he snapped.

Rin saw Sasori frown.

"We usually…do not interfere with the natives doings", Amane replied carefully. "But if it is such a problematic issue, I could try to arrange a meeting to understand their motivations", suggested Lady Amane, before sipping at her drink.

"I expected propositions centered on actual results, rather than a hypothetical promise of chit chat", answered Sesshomaru. "We've maintained collaboration for centuries, I thought you would engage more actively on such important issues for the West", he taunted.

"My _lord_, they say this is ill fortune for the thankless to ask", she replied evasively, with an innocent smile.

"Who is thankless? Aren't peaceful relations and meticulous respect of your borders a sufficient proof of appreciation?", he responded, with piercing eyes.

She smiled coldly. "My lord, consider yourself lucky that I listen to your requests on such a sacred day. People who want something from me usually visit my court for an official petition".

Then it was as if a freezing squall had hit the entire table, the chattering much quieter than it was a few minutes before. Sesshomaru just stared at her for a while, his look very close to a glare. Rin had no clue what was happening, but she knew it was something serious. She glanced at everyone and even noticed Lady Sasori looked…a bit offended, her yellow eyes a little wider than usual. There must be something in what Lady Amane said that was wrong.

"Then I hope this meeting you are talking about will be…fruitful", Sesshomaru replied, icily.

"Oh, I will make sure it is, my lord", she answered smoothly.

"I am sure you will, my lady", he replied with a tone very close to contempt.

Rin tried not to gasp…now that wasn't going too well…she at least understood that. At least, Sessshomaru didn't seem blinded by her charms, like she thought he might be. It was all the contrary…

Rin suddenly felt as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. After a few long minutes, Lady Amane even excused herself and left the table for a moment…Even better now…Rin was actually in a good mood, which hadn't happened since he lord had told her she was divine…

…Yes divine had been the word she had forgotten earlier…

"Say…Rin…", started the youkai bride, with a playful smile. "If we are to consider you to be part of our big love family soon, we have to know you better…"

Rin smiled brightly, happy to be back to lighter subjects. "Well of course, if it's something that can be discussed in front of everyone, I do not mind!"

Kishiko laughed heartily at that. "We talked a lot about our own customs earlier, but we don't know much about you yet…"

Rin took a sip of her drink, suddenly uneasy; she noticed her lord was also staring at the bride, placidly.

…Even he looked a bit more relaxed without the other woman around…Rin thought.

"How was he…your boyfriend?", asked Kishiko.

"Oh please, don't bring this up", protested Tenmaru, fearing a fit of tears.

"Ah actually it's okay, I think I can talk about it now", Rin responded with a slight smile. "What do you want to know?"

"…Everything! You loved him, right? What did he look like?", the bride asked with a smile.

"She basically just want to know if we are your type", Tenmaru added, with a flirty smile.

Rin saw him shrink of a few inches in his seat, so she supposed Sesshomaru must have looked at him in a very angry way.

"Tall, slender, but well built because of the fighting, tanned skin with freckles on his cheeks. His hair was always a bit messy, so he kept it tied all the time", described Rin with a blush. "He was always wearing his black demon slayer suit, and his smile…"

Rin stopped and smiled dreamily.

"I will remember to smile a lot, unlike some other people", commented Tenmaru with a grin, showing off some pointy canines, while glancing briefly at his cousin. Sesshomaru shot him a glare, tired of his cousin's pointless foolishness.

Rin wondered briefly if Sesshomaru had the same pointy teeth as his cousin.

"What did you like the most about him?", asked Kishiko.

Rin thought about that for a moment, and blushed a little with a smile, as she found the answer.

"He was sweet, he always moved heaven and earth to make me happy… even though there were so many other girls trying hard to win his attention. He always brought me flowers with his lovely smile, after coming back from a mission, he snuck out of his duties to come see me, to show me some baby animal or demon he had found on his last patrols. We snuck out at night to take a swim in the river a few times, or to steal Inu Yasha's sake…", she described, smiling a little, glad she was now able to talk about him without feeling the same pain as before. "We had a nice and simple relationship going on. He would come see me anytime he could, and I would wear my prettiest kimono and a comb, and I took care of his bites and scratches. We were happy with each other…"

"The way you describe him, I would gladly have taken him in our clan as well", Kishiko replied with a smirk.

"Hey where did that come from? We didn't talk about this", commented Tenmaru, a bit hurt.

"Come on! A sweet, innocent, valiant boy, doing everything for his beloved...", replied Kishiko with dreamy eyes.

"And faithful. That's everything you are not, Tenmaru", Sesshomaru shot back, taking a sip of his drink.

Rin smiled playfully, looking at her lord.

"Pfff, you are just trying to break us up. I am much sweeter and valiant than you think", retorted Tenmaru with annoyance.

"Speak all you like. Rin is off-limits", retorted the youkai lord, coldly.

Rin blushed, but blood left off her face as soon as the Lady of the Heartlands came back, smiling vividly at her companion.

"This music is so nice, my lord. Shall we dance?", she asked.

"With pleasure, my lady", he replied, as he glanced back at her, almost charming.

Rin looked at them leave with disappointment…and she had thought they would be cold to each other the rest of the night! She repressed a sigh, not even wanting to touch the sweets in front of her.

…

Rin sat on a bench, resting her head against the wall in the wide ballroom. Nozomi, Kishiko and Tenmaru were all chit chatting, so unaware of the late hour.

Rin hadn't realized that a wedding in demon culture would last all night, because they don't need to sleep everyday! That meant the last dance was somewhere in the middle of the night. She stared absently in the spot where Sesshomaru and Lady Amane were sitting, her lord still not displaying much, as if he were even more guarded than usual. Rin sighed and just closed her eyes, waiting for this night to end…

She gave up, she didn't want the dance anymore. She was all so confused by Sesshomaru's behaviour, which seemed contradictory to her: he accepted to hold the lady when she hugged him, made her dance for a long while, at least pretended to listen to what she said, yet he was harsh when he mentioned the invasions of the nomadic tribes, and had taken her own defense when the Lady Amane became very adamant to know her position on mixed union. And their argument passed by like a breeze…now that was so odd…

Still, there he was, with her again, listening to her endless babbling, while poor Rin was alone, resting her head on the wall…his chest had been much more comfortable the previous night. Of course, he denied it in public when she mentioned it, but she knew it wasn't a dream…he was just ashamed of admitting in front of everyone he spent a part of the night, cuddling with his human ward.

"What are you doing?", inquired Nozomi, while poking at her.

"Ow!"

"You can't sleep! He will come soon", reminded Nozomi with annoyance.

"No he won't. He has his blue lady, his old flame…", whispered Rin, not even opening her eyes.

"But he told you he would come, right?", insisted the fox demon.

"Yes, but that was before the woman of his dream was shoved into his face", retorted Rin with disappointment.

"Oh please, by the looks he gave me during dinner each time I executed my plan to perfection, I am sure he is not ready to let you go", added Tenmaru. "I feared for my life a few times tonight…He even said you were off-limits! Why do you think?"

Rin opened her eyes and frowned childishly. "He cares because I am his ward, not because of what you all think…"

"Kami, Rin! Don't let yourself lose focus just because of one pretender!", protested Nozomi.

"They were beautiful when they were dancing earlier…", Rin added.

"Nothing compared to you both yesterday! You were so striking I almost died watching!", retorted Nozomi.

"You must be exaggerating", retorted Rin.

"Yeah, have you kissed during that dance?", added Tenmaru, an eyebrow raised.

Rin's eyes widened. "What? No!"

"Are you sure? From where we stood…when he brought you down, it really looked like he gave you a peck on the lips", insisted Kishiko with a playful smile.

"If he had, I would know, okay!", protested Rin. "…but I think it did come close…though…", she whispered, shyly.

"Pretty damn close…", added Tenmaru.

"That was yesterday…", rationalized Rin.

"We'll see…it shouldn't be long now…you should check your make-up, miss Rin", suggested Kishiko.

…to be continued…

A/N: I know, what a terrible place to stop! I had like 20 000 words for the wedding, I may love to write, this is way too long just for one chapter! But I promise the little wait will be worth it…There WILL be M CONTENT next chapter. You are waaarrned! But some parts need further polishing…Now I might polish that quickly if you leave a review :D


	10. Heated Night

A/N: A few answers to anonymous reviews:

Kat: Hahaha, I would have been insulted if you told me you liked that lady!

Jj: I'm glad you loved their evil plan, let's see now if Sesshomaru will lose his icy mask in this one (evil laughs)

Guest: With a bit of luck, she will have a little reassurance in this one.

Guest (the 2nd one!): I'm glad you liked that chapter, I was afraid the length might deter a few people but I'm glad it's not your case. Will Sess man up? Hmmm… ;)

Rinyuki2014: I know…it was an evil place to end. Thank you for the compliment, I hope you will like this chapter :)

Gingersnaps: Ahh I know the feeling when you just find a story you like and the last update was conveniently left with a terrible cliffhanger…sorry for that! I'm happy you love this story! Hopefully the waiting wasn't too torturing! Thanks for the review :)

Warning! M rated content starts in this chapter! Oh but I'm sure so many of you are sooo soooo happy *smirk*

Oh well…enjoy!

Chapter 10: Heated Night

…

"Do you think it is a possibility, Lady Sasori?", inquired Amane with a thoughtful frown.

"I'd be amazed the cat tribes ever become so belligerent again, I wouldn't trouble myself over this matter…", replied the Lady of the West, while glancing at her aloof son.

Completely oblivious to their conversation, Sesshomaru was sitting next to them, still and silent as a statue, a cup of warm sake in hand, staring at a vase of white flowers in front of him, suddenly remembering the red one lying on his desk, in the study.

He had been staring at flowers more than usual lately, and not just because his ward covered the whole place with gracious petals.

Each time he would get outside, he would surprise himself staring at some cherry blossoms, some red roses in his gardens, or even daisies.

He truthfully wasn't sure why he even glanced at these insignificant ornamental plants. He just couldn't help it. He had to stare at the shape of the petals, pistils, or notice the different shade a simple flower can have, and observe where they would grow, or wither.

His intense observations led him to conclude flower arrangements around the castle weren't a simple matter and he developed some sort of respect for the gardeners, which he had considered a waste of coins in the past. He knew his ward loved flowers, so he had decided against getting rid of them, and it was a good thing, because he now felt this place could become Rin's home as well…

He drank his sake in one long sip, and emptied was what left inside the tokkuri in his cup, trying to ignore the tiny droplets of sweat pearling on his temples, which was a very rare phenomenon, he was usually never bothered by hot temperatures. They must probably be located at the most suffocating spot in the ballroom…

He then stared absently at the woman next to him. Talking…talking…talking…

His ward was very bubbly, but she has such a quiet nature compared to the Lady of the Heartlands… At first, he had been concerned that seeing this witch-demon again would awake old wounds he had forgotten and locked away centuries ago, but in fact, it hadn't. He wasn't even sure why he had developed such an intense interest in the woman long ago…He supposed that was because he was still a child back then, and his tastes in women must have been unrefined.

All the loath he felt for centuries directed at Lord Sakuza now seemed pointless. What a terrible mistake it would have been to unite with this woman. She might have her charms and a powerful aura… the blue colour of her eyes and soft voice hadn't changed a bit and he was briefly concerned when he glimpsed at her earlier in the entrance that he might fall for her again…but Sesshomaru was amazed how, in the end, he felt absolutely nothing at the sight of her. Her only truly prominent trait was her eyes…and even those eyes didn't have the same gleam as in his memories…He had remembered a passionate maiden, with fire in her azure irises when she spoke of empires and conquests…Whatever passion he remembered must have been the fruit of his imagination, or the woman had become an empty shell dulled by an easy life…

She had become untrusting and condescending, dodging every significant question, thinking she could just behave like a normal pretender, hold his arm and dance, thinking he wouldn't bring up all the havoc she could be blamed for. He had a hard time believing this same woman was the same enchanting tactician he had remembered from long ago. He thought it was quite fascinating how perceptions can change over time.

…Lord Sakuza wanted his father to give up the Western Lands for her…Sesshomaru might have scoffed at this memory, if he hadn't been watched so intently by this lady and his mother. This Lady Amane…fruit of many torments was in fact, just a plain stranger that didn't deserve his attention…

Her arrogance was by far what he hated the most about this…self proclaimed empress…who implied he should show up at her court –like any vassals of hers– to claim what was due to him by right. During that particular moment, at the diner table, it had taken him every ounce of self-control he had, not to chase her away of his mansion and lands, along with all her guards, heralds and servants, but he knew it is not right to display hostility at guests. He had to stay quiet a few more hours to avoid ruining this mundane torture that was this wedding. That was a real challenge: he was used to behave like he see fit with his own court, but with so many vassals and foreign emissaries around, he had to behave accordingly… However, now that all the significant parts of the celebration were over, his salvation was close…so close…

He glanced nonchalantly at his own mother and escort, before darting his eyes back to the immaculate flowers.

How entertaining…even her mother seemed a little annoyed with Lady Amane. He almost wanted to thank her for inviting this lady. He will finally to get her out of his mind forever, as he did with all the other prospective consorts. He was sure his mother will do so as well. He was affirmative she didn't like Lady Amane's superiority complex.

He had always despised social considerations, but they were mandatory in such a delicate diplomatic exercises, and quite frankly, they were the only ones that kept him next to this woman until this very moment. But now, considering that she only proposed some chitchat with her own tribes, shrugging off his concerns as if she were too important to consider him anything else than a possible consort… He might need to remind this blue-eyed woman who he was, his patience for a pure stranger now completely depleted.

He glanced at another direction this time…his ward apparently quarrelling with his cousin. He found that curious, Tenmaru had many flaws, but he rarely displayed impatience…especially towards Rin…Her hazel eyes expressed some sort of worry…

The time was now ripe… Enough self control…

He drank the last remnant of sake and put his cup down on the marble table a bit roughly, the loud sound of porcelain hitting the marble startled the blue woman next to him. Then he just stood up and walked slowly towards the vase, examining from a different perspective all the different kinds of flowers.

"Sesshomaru…", whispered the misty voice of Lady Amane.

He turned absently towards her, a white tulip in hand, staring at some fixed point behind the woman. She didn't deserve his entire attention anyway.

"You look so distracted since diner… What are you doing?", she asked worriedly.

"I must keep a promise", he said nonchalantly, already walking away.

Lady Amane's blue eyes blinked a few times. "What?"

"He is going to dance with his ward. He promised her", explained Lady Sasori stoically.

Lady Amane frowned. "Wait, Sesshomaru!"

He stopped, not glancing back.

"Shouldn't a man ask his escort before dancing with another woman?", she asked boldly.

"Why would I do that?", he shot back indifferently.

"I demand this last dance with you", she replied, with a mysterious smile.

Then he looked at her over his shoulder, amber meeting her aquamarines.

"I do not take orders from anyone", he replied stoically.

And then he left.

Lady Amane stared at his departing silhouette, unbelieving, before turning towards Lady Sasori, visibly angered.

"What is the meaning of this?", she asked in a hiss. "Is he truly reserving the last dance for his human pet?"

Sasori sincerely hoped her son hadn't heard, or things would get even worse. Of course, she knew that moment would happen…she had known…from the moment her son had informed her of his inane idea to dance with his ward the night of this wedding…she knew her attempt at making things right was doomed.

She knew what he son just did was wrong…dropping the Lady of the Heartlands like that for his human. Many demons would consider this outrageous…This was probably one of the most powerful female demon alive…He should have been more polite about it…but then again, if he would have asked, it seems Lady Amane wouldn't have granted him permission. Lady Amane wasn't some …open minded woman like the bride Kishiko, she had no notion of sharing…which would have been mandatory with her son at this point…and there was also the fact humans were as low as insects to her…That might have worked with Sesshomaru long ago, alas, people change…and her son, like his father, was no exception.

The Lady of the West did what she rarely did: she sighed, and sipped at her sake, silently waiting for the darkest hours to come.

…

"Oh come on, it's pointless!", protested Rin.

"Just a final touch…and there!", exclaimed Kishiko with a smile. "Much prettier with a refreshment of red. After the dance, he will be able to admire your pretty lips… even under the dimmed lights of the fireworks."

"Don't be silly, he will not want to see fireworks", retorted Rin with embarrassment.

"Ah I disagree…he will bring you to the fireworks I am sure", responded the bride with a smile. "…and I bet he will have at least a _wandering hands_ syndrome"

"I bet he will bring her to some special spot, like on top of a tree or to a higher floor of the mansion, so they can watch privately and kiss passionately", added Nozomi mischievously.

"You are all crazy…", protested Rin, a bit annoyed. Why were they so convinced something like this was about to happen?

"What's your bet, Tenmaru-honey?", asked Kishiko with a playful smile.

"They will not watch the fireworks. They will just get laid", he retorted matter-of-factly.

His wife just laughed out loud, while Nozomi placed a hand on her mouth in bewilderment and Rin felt the white powder melt bit a more on her face.

"You are insane Tenmaru!", whispered Rin, half offended, half scared.

"No. I am realist", he answered back, now a bit annoyed at Rin's eternal denial. "I don't know how it works with humans, but demons are impatient, sweet Rin. When they feel attraction, they just do their thing and get this over with. You've been teasing him for weeks now…"

"And he is undressing you with his eyes all the time", added Kishiko. "Even tonight, I caught him once or twice. His expression even became a little haunted when Tenmaru mentioned your delicate neck…"

"I didn't see that…", whispered Rin, a little troubled.

"You didn't see because you didn't look", retorted Tenmaru. "And yesterday, he wasn't just undressing you with his eyes…"

Rin looked at him with red cheeks, powder finally giving up its eternal attempt at protecting the girl. Never had she thought this night could be _that_ eventful …she was only supposed to dance with him! She stared back at Nozomi, in hopes to have another view, but the kitsune's amused expression told her otherwise.

"They are both right. But I feel like he is oblivious to his own blatant feelings. You should at least…you know…have a talk…or something…"

"Yeah, the tension between you both is just ridiculous", commented Tenmaru. "You have to do something about it, male demons are losing interest when they stay frustrated like that for too long…Damn, I feel frustrated for him right now!", he exclaimed with indignation.

"And what do you think I should do?", Rin asked worriedly.

"Oh please, don't ask him!", exclaimed Nozomi.

"No need to be scared, kitsune-girl", he retorted, with annoyance. "He might be a bit socially retarded, he's not completely stupid: just do something, anything that would let him know you are ready: a quick peck, strategically located caresses or even a simple "take me" order if you don't care about formalities, I swear whatever you do, the result will be the same", he explained mischievously.

"And-and what if I am not ready for…this?", Rin asked worriedly. The whole new prospect that he might want to get intimate so quickly was terrifying her. They hadn't even kissed before! All their speculations seemed so unreal!

"Nonsense, how can you NOT be ready? You've been undressing him with your eyes too, you now…", retorted Tenmaru.

"I-I did that?!", asked Rin with panic.

"Hell yes you do! All the time! Kami those virgins are so hard to manage…", protested Tenmaru…he stared at his wife. "…Never a maiden in our love family"

"Nah, never", Kishiko agreed with an amused smile.

"So your little story earlier was really just part of your masquerade then?", asked Rin with a pout, absently brushing her hair with her fingers.

"Don't get mistaken. We both think you are hot, but just not ready for us", he replied with a grin.

"Yes…get a chaste man first, like Sesshomaru-sama, to learn the basics, and we could help you with the rest after, if it doesn't work out with him", added Kishiko with a wink.

Then Nozomi gasped and clapped her hands.

"There he comes!", she announced.

"Okay, you are ready little Rin. Brace yourself now, be pretty", ordered Kishiko, hiding her cosmetics in her obi.

Then Rin saw they were right…He was truly coming for her. He hadn't forgotten her because of the blue lady. His walk was slow, making the wait all the more suffering, and he looked a little distracted. Then it was too much for her and she just stared at the ground, forgetting everybody and everything else, until a shadow loomed over her. A familiar hand extended in front of her. She stared up.

"Sesshomaru-sama…you have come…", she observed in a whisper.

"You doubted my word?", he inquired, raising his eyebrow like he did all the time.

"But…but…", Rin protested, she stared behind him and gasped briefly, troubled by the blue lady spying on them from afar.

"Shouldn't you be with Lady Amane?"

Rin swore she heard someone curse behind her, but she just shrugged off the distraction.

"…I was with her _all_ day", Sesshomaru replied stoically, with a hint of annoyance.

"But…she looks upset!", exclaimed Rin in a panicked murmur.

Sesshomaru frowned slightly. Was she trying to push him away? Now that didn't make any sense. He knew she wanted this…And he had been waiting for this moment…_all day_…

He supposed she might be upset because of Lady Amane's presence. He had expected this event could sadden her and he wasn't wrong…her wide hazel eyes had been staring at him longingly, screaming at him to come back to her…_all day_…

So, he just executed the plan he had thought about, while staring at the vase, a little imperceptible curve at the corner of his lip as he took something tied at his sash, like some lethal weapon.

Rin gasped in bewilderment, as she saw him held out a while tulip in front of her.

"A…a flower? But…"

He had never given her a flower before…Was it because he had heard her talk of Kohaku and his flowers during dinner? She extended her hand and took the tulip from his warm fingers, contemplating it with adoration.

Did he care for her so much? He wanted to please her like Kohaku did before? And the white tulip…did he chose that flower on purpose?

White tulip was a way of seeking forgiveness…Was it just random gift, or he felt bad for leaving her alone all day? She felt her eyes water.

"Why are you crying so often when I make you gifts?", he asked.

She looked up at him and noticed he looked vexed, even, a little upset? She felt one tear fall out, and wiped it quickly.

"Don't take it badly my lord. I am simply…very…very pleased", she tried to explain with a grin.

He extended his hand once more, but this time, she took it. She placed the flower in her hair, as they walked towards the dancers, all waiting between two songs. Rin thought it was odd because the orchestra hadn't taken a single break from entire the night. Why would they take one just before the last song?

"Were…were they waiting for us?", she asked, as they chose some quiet spot.

She saw a glint of amusement in his amber eyes. "Does it matter?"

"N-no…I was just curious, like you would say", she replied playfully.

She intertwined the fingers of her left hand with his and placed the other one on his back, and she had the impression his skin was a little hotter than the day before, or maybe the fabric of his clothing was thinner? Then Rin glanced in front of her, and saw from afar, two threatening blue dots staring at her…at them…she felt unwell.

"What is it?", he asked, feeling her discomfort.

"She is looking at us! Kami…lord Sesshomaru…I think she is angry!", Rin observed.

"And?"

"Sh-shouldn't you do something?", she asked, sheepishly.

Then he stared at her with some indecipherable, yet intense look. "Didn't you figure it out already?", he asked.

Rin blinked. "Figure what out?", she asked back.

Then he leaned a little, very slowly, and Rin's heart suddenly started beating faster and faster in anticipation, thinking he might kiss her. But in the end, his final destination was her ear.

"I…don't…like…_her_", he stated very slowly in a murmur, as if to make sure she knew he meant every little syllable of this sentence.

Rin felt like her heart was going to blow up. This whisper was even better than a kiss. She felt a hot tear fall down from her cheek again. His hand briefly slid from her back to capture the tear, a bit upset she was crying again…all of this because of the woman he had to entertain all day. He saw her wet eyes were troubled and still looking at the crowd. He forced her to rotate with him, so he could face the blue banshee on his own.

"Don't look at her", he ordered. "Look at me."

Rin nodded, than smiled. "I'm sorry my lord, I think I am overly sensitive tonight."

"Hmph…"

She stared at his eyes, trying not to blush too much, amber as hot as coals tonight. She glanced absently at his lips, remembering how close they were the day before, wondering if he would get again at the closest distance possible before brushing them against hers. She examined the shape a moment, liking that they were neither pouty, nor very narrow, lower lip a bit prominent...probably warm… She blinked and stared back at his eyes, suddenly remembering how Kizuisen has said he had already stared at the blue lady's lips before…she felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if centuries from now, someone will tell the tale of human hazel eyes on the great taiyoukai's lips…

Then she heard the sad complaint of a single shamizen and a drum starting a slow and deep rumble, becoming louder as every second went by. They started to move, slowly. She felt his hot fingers hold her a tiny bit more tightly, as if afraid she might try to run away.

On the contrary of the day before, she didn't even bother trying to concentrate on her steps, she basically just had to follow him anyway. She had a sight of the blue lady from afar, while they circled around the room in their gracious dance…she was still staring…

"I am here", he reminded.

"You shouldn't have left a gorgeous woman like that", replied Rin with a small smile, glancing back at him. "She has such alluring eyes and immaculate hair and distinct features, don't you think?", asked Rin in a nervous babble. "I mean, you were so beautiful in each other's arms earlier, she fitted perfectly in your…"

"I find her bland, boring, and big-headed", he snapped a bit harshly. "Now just stop looking. Forget she exists", he ordered.

Rin refrained a gasp and just nodded. Bland and boring…big headed…so he really didn't like her…

There were many instruments, but the drum had a dominant rhythm, regular, loud, resonant…in synch with her own heartbeat. He made her twirl, she obliged willingly, and recognized some familiar tactic of his –lowering his arm a tad too quickly, effectively forcing her to draw in just a little too closely to respect social conventions, but she didn't bother fighting him back, and accidentally put her hand on his shoulder instead of his back, and brushed her fingers against his chest to sneak it under his arm, putting it back where it belongs.

Sesshomaru absently looked up for a short moment and noticed yellow eyes next to the blue ones now, his mother staring at them with exasperation, he refrained a smirk, concluding they must be even more scandalous than the day before.

"Is there something wrong?", wondered Rin worriedly, noticing his distraction and suddenly wanting to see what attracted his attention.

"No. Keep looking at me", he answered, hiding his amusement to perfection, focusing back on her big hazel eyes. He stopped bothering with the environment, effectively following the advice he had given his ward earlier.

Rin's eyes were wide, but not as much as Amane's, they were drawing his soul, not drowning it. Though he liked their warm shade, the colour wasn't particularly rare, what he loved the most was how she let him see through her so easily, her genuineness and vulnerability displayed so shamelessly had something fascinating and alluring about it, much more interesting than a peculiar colour. He thought that showing off so many emotions like this was some sort of indecency of her soul…but he liked it.

Scared of what she might see if she looked away, she just stared as well, examining him. She rarely had the chance to gawk so intently at his eyes, so she started examining some captivating details to keep her mind occupied…like their unique upturned shape. She had noticed it before. She had previously thought that must be some demon feature, but Inu-Yasha had very round shaped eyes compared to his brother. Also, she hadn't seen anyone around the castle with similar eyes, except Sesshomaru's mother, but hers were a little narrower, and they were more lemony than gold. She then focused at his irises, noticing for the first time some coppery pigmentation at the outer end of his orbs, and the palest tint –golden looking– around his narrow pupils…though for some reason his pupils were not very narrow that night, she wondered what that meant…she didn't mind it, she found he was a little less intimidating with his eyes like that.

He placed his hands on her waist, and she tried not to gasp at the tickling feeling, suddenly fearful she might be even more ticklish than the night before. She let herself being lifted –satisfied he had kept this little treat for her only, he hadn't brought Lady Amane up a single time that afternoon. Both Kishiko and Nozomi had confirmed.

Even though she was in a very good mood, Rin didn't try to make a show like the day before, she was far too spellbound with his eyes to bother with anything else. He didn't look anywhere else either, she found out he apparently didn't need to blink much, or maybe he only bothered closing his eyes when she was closing her own, to make sure he would miss as little time staring at her as possible. She smiled silently at that thought.

She was a little disappointed when he brought her down, not bringing her as close to him as the day before, but she had the impression it was because he wanted to keep looking at her, or maybe he just wanted to make sure she didn't lose her focus on him. However, her curiosity triumphed and she stared behind him.

"Don't", he whispered.

"I'm sorry…", she replied in a whisper, glancing back at him.

"She's still watching?", he couldn't help but ask.

"Hm-hmmm", she replied with a pale smirk.

Rin with a smirk. That turned him on more than he would have thought. And he really had enough of that Amane woman, who seemed to think he was some sort of vassal of hers…

"Make her jealous.", he ordered stoically.

"What?", she asked, baffled, with a healthy blush.

"You want it", he teased, amber warming up again.

He took her thin waist and made her spin in the air again. This time she completely extended one of her arm, deploying a graceful wing, the other one never leaving the nape of his neck. This time when he brought her down, she pulled on his shoulders, to go down spinning in a complete embrace, making her lips so darn close from his, she swore she saw a twitch on them…

As soon as her feet landed gracefully on the ground, the song ended with ridiculously accurate synchronism, Rin never leaving his arms, Sesshomaru not pulling away, not ready to remove his hands from her perfect waist. When she heard a few enthusiastic "WooOOooo" shouts around them, Rin knew they may have gone too far, people were entertained to say the least. She felt Sesshomaru grow a little stiffer in her arms and he broke the embrace. She saw him frown, apparently not liking this excess of attention. He turned his attention back to her.

"Do you like fireworks, Rin?", he inquired with his usual composure.

She thought she was going to die, as she realized the prophecy of her friends was actually happening. She felt febrile.

"Yes!", she replied with a grin.

"Then let's get out of here", he suggested, going towards the first balcony he could spot.

She nodded, catching up with him, with a childish –but some would say victorious– grin on her face. She felt a cool breeze blow through the silk of her dress, making her shiver as the sweat on her body was being blown away. It was so unbelievably hot inside.

So close…from the escape…Rin was so happy she outpaced her lord and ran the few last steps, waiting for him on the balcony, still with a grin on her pretty face.

Alas…

"Sesshomaru!", called a feminine voice, not so misty and entrancing anymore.

Rin saw very visible exasperation cross his features before he glanced over his shoulder, at Lady Amane.

"Where are you going?", the empress asked.

"Elsewhere", he retorted dryly.

Rin tried not to smirk, but she was then slightly troubled by a pair of arctic blue eyes, glaring directly at her. Rin stayed impassive and didn't look down, as requested by her lord. She wouldn't show weakness to her. The blue woman then glanced back at Sesshomaru.

"I would like to talk to you", she stated coldly.

"Then state your business", he replied nonchalantly.

"It is private", she added, brushing her hair away from her shoulder with annoyance.

Sesshomaru frowned a little: he had expected she would be wise enough to avoid confrontations. He glanced back at Rin, with a softer gaze.

"Wait for me here", he requested, before getting back inside.

Rin nodded, slightly worried. She sat down on the stairs of the balcony, but glanced over her shoulder, stretching her neck in hopes to see what was going on.

But then some guard closed the door. She cursed.

…

"I don't want _her_ around", stated Lady Amane, not wanting to spill a minute more without expressing her concerns.

Sesshomaru frowned. "What are you talking about?", he asked, with a hint of irritation.

"Don't play the fool, Sesshomaru. I am talking about your _ward_…"

"What about her?"

"Please! You can't expect me to agree to a marriage if you are openly fooling around with a filthy human!", she dropped, wide blue eyes now narrow slits.

"Hmph."

"What is so funny?", she asked impatiently.

"What makes you think there was question of a marriage?", he snapped back.

She frowned. "What-what are you talking about? Wasn't this the whole point? My late father is not ruling anymore. You could be my champion and my consort, and I could rule over our unified empire…" She smiled. "Like it was meant to be".

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, trying to digest the craziness the woman in front of him had just expressed, and trying to find a way of getting out of this without a bloodbath.

He couldn't believe she had spoken of _unified empire_ and _her_ ruling over it…all in one sentence. Was she an absolute lunatic?

"So you assumed you were invited today, under my roof, so I could propose to you so I could…give away my lands…to you", he supposed out loud, with a low voice, and then his eyes became piercing. "Because you wish that, I, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, become a trophy consort and father to your child, without recognition of power or brains?", he asked a bit slowly, with a dangerously monotone voice.

Her lips became a thin line, as she approached him, putting her cold hands on his chest. He stayed still, not going to acknowledge his great horror at her closeness.

"You didn't want to rule…you just wanted to fight…and you wanted me in your bed…This is what you _wanted_", she whispered with her misty voice.

He used his last remnants of stoicism, before the storm. "I loathed responsibilities linked to lordship…when I was a child. You are aware I've been ruling over my lands for more than a century since then?", he asked with a wisp of mockery.

"But you wouldn't have to pretend anymore…You could finally do what you want…_take_ me all you want…and your child, your own blood, would be the heir to the vastest demon empire in the world. What else could you hope for?", she asked, in a seducing manner, clashing with her immaculate appearance.

He took a step back, her cold hands like acid on his clothes. And then, he knew, the last string keeping his cold demeanour intact had just broken. The boiling anger was about to erupt.

"Repulsive twaddle again…Didn't you get the message the first time?", he snapped, clenching his teeth.

"It was a story between our fathers", she protested.

"You think I am a some submissive weakling who will make your fights during the day, and impregnate you at night, all the while you call yourself empress and pretend you are worthy of ruling?!", he asked, openly angered...

"You have been taunting me for a while, Sesshomaru…putting your hands on southern territories like you did last summer… It would be easier if we were on the same side…", she shot back with annoyance.

"How frustrating it must be for you not to possess monopoly on power and conquests…", he spat back with irony. "I have bad news for you. The Western Lands are not yours and will never be"

"You are wrong to provoke me Sesshomaru. You are more vulnerable than you think", she threatened coldly. "I conquered the Northern and Eastern lands already…"

He paused a moment, impassive. "Both decentralized and weak for decades ", he retorted.

"And how long do you think you would last, alone, against me?", she hissed.

"Long enough to neutralize all of your booby traps and dirty tricks until you give up. The Western Lands have never been so prosperous", he responded, with cold confidence.

"…You will see how wrong you are. You have one last chance, Sesshomaru. If you do not withdraw your insults and accept my offer, you will taste defeat, weakness and humiliation... Your people will suffer. Your bloodline will disappear. Your empire and sturdy looking mansion will shatter in a thousand pieces like a castle of glass…", she whispered threateningly.

Sesshomaru sneered, and approached her delicate face, now only at an inch from hers, narrowing his eyes.

"You will never get my lands… not even if you bat your eyelashes, or assault me again with your empty threats", he got closer, whispering to her ear "not even if you open your legs."

She slapped him hard.

"You will regret this", she whispered angrily, eyes watering.

The empress of the Heartlands stormed off.

The Lord watched the commotion she made, as she left the ballroom, to go who knows where. He turned on his heel and closed his eyes a moment, trying to get rid of the crimson taking over. He was felt conflicted: so relieved he struck a nerve, yet so infuriated at her offensive, insane arrogance. He walked slowly toward the balcony, and opened the door, appreciating the breeze. Yet he realized he must not have succeeded chasing all the red away, as he got out, his ward's eyes widening at the sight of him.

…

Rin watched him in disbelief, as Sesshomaru got outside, looking murderous. She hadn't seen what happened, but she could only guess it went very badly.

"My lord?"

"Come", he ordered with a husky voice.

"What is it? What happened", she asked worriedly.

He didn't answer and continued walking, the wind blowing fiercely around them. His steps were so wide Rin had to run to catch up with him. She gulped.

He was mad, so mad…She wasn't even sure she had already seen him so openly angry before. She could see the shade of his eyes getting redder and redder as they moved forward, now so far away in the courtyard, between lilacs, that she couldn't hear anyone else around them. She felt she had to do something. This Lady of the Heartlands might be wealthy and powerful, but what happened couldn't be that bad…right?

So she took his hand in hers, and squeezed it, forcing him to stop and look at her. He turned abruptly.

"My lord…", she whispered, unmoved by the crimson, trying to search his eyes for answers.

He didn't respond, but she did notice red markings in the shape of a hand on his face. Her eyes widened. The Lady of the Heartlands had slapped him. She felt a wave of guilt.

"Is it because of the stupid dance?", she asked with hints of sadness. She hoped she wasn't responsible for something very serious.

He calmed down a bit, his eyes retrieving his golden hue. "No", he replied.

"I am supposed to believe that?", she replied with knowing eyes. "I saw how angry she looked…"

"This has nothing to do with you. This talk was going to happen", he replied, looking suddenly a lot calmer. That discussion may have occurred earlier and with harsher words than he anticipated because of Rin's presence, but she didn't need to know that. In fact, he was even a bit glad her presence contributed to a satisfying vengeance.

She smiled sadly. "And that's a good thing?"

"Yes", he replied. He resumed their walking, his hand still in hers. "She also dropped relevant information she wouldn't have brought up otherwise"

"Oh…Is it good or…bad news?", Rin inquired with curiosity.

Sesshomaru darted a sideways glance at her. He certainly wasn't going to tell her the Heartlands had conquered much more than he had previously thought, or that he might very well be on the verge of war. No, she didn't needed to know that, and he strongly needed to take his mind off things. Then he noticed she seemed to have a hard time following him, her steps looking a bit miserable.

"Isn't this supposed to be the moment you remove your zoris and run on the grass?", he inquired suddenly.

She grinned widely. "You are absolutely right!"

She removed her zoris and dropped them unceremoniously on the ground. She let a huge sigh of bliss escape her lips as she felt the cool dewdrops on her pained feet.

"Oh it feels so good!", she whispered in glee, closing her eyes, then she frowned.

"There is also something else I must do…". She looked at him sheepishly. "Would you mind if I removed…"

"What?"

"The damned white powder is turning into glue…right on my face!", she exploded, removing a handkerchief from her obi. "I swear if I keep this thick white clay a minute more I…"

He didn't even bother with an answer, as he took the fabric from her fingers and started scrubbing her face delicately, revealing her beautiful blushing skin she had been forced to hide all day. After a while, she did take the fabric back to finish the job, much too embarrassed at the prospect of leaving him the tedious task of removing her terrible makeups.

"Should I remove the red on my lips too?", she asked shyly. Quite truthfully, she hated the red, and she had the impression he wasn't too fond of it either.

"You can remove everything you dislike", he said, as he suddenly decided to untie his own hair, shaking them a little to make sure they get back into their silky shape.

She saw him and decided to do the same, suddenly feeling how painful her scalp was. However, her half updo hairstyle being sophisticated and intricate, she was soon into deep struggle. Her lord looked at her, with a glint of amusement. Oh how clumsy she could become when she was nervous…She had decorative strings keeping her hair in place, and it was making her life a living hell, her pulling the thing in every direction, unable to get it out of her mane.

"Need a hand?", he asked.

She sighed. "I suppose it could help…"

She saw him look at the ornament with some sort of annoyance, and decided to break it with a claw, tugged at it and dropped it nonchalantly into the grass, and then slid a hand through her scalp, trying to discipline her wild locks, she tried to mentally minimize the nice feeling of his hand in her hair.

"I think it was worth a lot", she commented, looking at the shiny decoration with a twitch of disappointment.

Not as much as their time, he thought, as he saw her pick up the white tulip that had fallen and slid the stem under her obi.

"Let's go", he announced, walking in the direction of what Rin recognized as her own chambers.

"Where are we going?", she asked.

"Somewhere nice", he retorted.

She blinked and followed silently, intrigued, previous febricity invading her senses again. They came to a halt when they were right in front of her balcony door.

"Hold me", he ordered.

She blushed but obliged, but squeaked when he jumped, effectively bringing them on the roof in one leap.

He took her hand and led her with a few delicate steps in a secluded area, under a gable, where the ground was perfectly flat, with dry crunchy leaves from the previous fall lying around, the full moon majestically looming over them. Rin suddenly felt her heart beat faster, remembering her friends' silly bets. She looked at him sit down, lay his back against the wall, discard his pelt –it was indeed a smothering night– and discreetly let a sigh escape his lips, displaying some sort of relief.

She innocently passed by her lord and sat next to him, and yawned a little.

"How long before they start?", she asked innocently.

"… Half an hour…or so", he said, crossing his arms behind his neck in a relaxed fashion.

She looked deterred. "Kami…it will be dawn, right?"

"The darkest part of the night…just before sunrise", he specified.

She pouted.

"You can rest a little, if you like", he suggested.

The limited space not leaving many possibilities, she didn't wait for further invitation and just turned towards him, to snuggle up against his chest. One of his arm left the back of his neck, so he could hold her waist protectively. She closed her eyes, so satisfied to have him hold her again, without even needing to ask. She had thought she would never feel his arms over her again, at some point during that day...

"What was that scene with Tenmaru earlier?", he suddenly asked.

"What scene?"

"The show during dinner", he said, glancing at her reproachfully.

"Oh that…", she whispered, looking away.

"Was this some sort of conspiracy to anger me?", he asked inquisitively.

She smiled sheepishly. "It wasn't my idea!", she replied in a falsely defensive manner.

"I assumed so…I was wondering why you agreed to this in the first place"

"Ahh…I was bored and a little angered because you've never left Lady Amane's side", she admitted, staring at the reflection of the moonlight on his blue clothes, starting to follow unconsciously the delicate branch patterns on his chest with her finger, the fabric was so soft…

He frowned. "You know I didn't have much of a choice…"

"I know…", she whispered. "I'm sorry…it was silly, but Tenmaru and his bride were so persuasive…"

"It may have shocked a few people", Sesshomaru commented nonchalantly, all the while gazing at her delicate fingers…now unequivocally caressing the fabric over his chest. His jaw tensed a little.

"Oh I'm sure your mother is very angry at me right now", Rin replied sheepishly, now thinking of her provocative behaviour during the dance.

"Are you worried?"

"No…I still have you", she replied with a grin.

He glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

She stared up at his eyes, and looked panicked a moment. "J-just that I am still in your good graces, my lord…"

He raised an eyebrow. "You meant nothing else?", he insisted, capturing her wandering hand with his.

She blushed hard, as he inspected it with great attention, while stroking her palm slightly with his thumb…She had just realized she had caressed his chest for at least 5 minutes straight! She thought about what Tenmaru had said. Was that a sign obvious enough for Sesshomaru? Was it why he confronted her so directly…all of a sudden?

His hand was so hot…and she was too. How could a simple thumb on her palm make her feel this way…

"I-I…", she stammered.

He didn't even listen to her stammering anymore. Still caressing her hand, he then brought his thumb to her wrist, and then his fingers went up under her wide sleeve, stroking the skin of her entire arm, until he reached her shoulder. She stood still, briefly closing her eyes, appreciating the feel of his warm hand on her skin, it wasn't just like when he was caressing her cheek or even her neck…there was something very intimate about this…

After some times, she felt his hand go down, only to take her sleeve and slide it up again, to glance at her pale skin with fascination.

She felt all air escape her lungs and a new powerful wave of heat reach her cheeks as he got closer to her, to press a few soft kisses on her shoulder, and then brushed her hair away, looking briefly at her neck, as if he wanted to kiss it too, but decided instead to retreat a little, looking intently at her eyes, very curious of her reaction. She stared at him, frozen into space, mouth half open, unbelieving.

"Should I stop this?", he asked, frowning a little. His face was so…close…

She looked down, cheeks deep crimson.

"N-no…", she responded hesitantly.

"Are you scared?", he insisted, raising an suspicious eyebrow, clearly unsatisfied with her stammering. He felt her heart beat so fast he thought her fear had outpaced excitement…he was a little worried for her health.

"N-no, my lord! I am just a little agitated, but…in a good way…", she finally admitted, looking back at him, yet not able to look at him in the eyes, so she just stared at his mouth. He noticed, he hesitated a moment, not really knowing how he should proceed…but then again, straightforward strategy had worked well in past situations…

"Should I kiss you?", he asked, out of the blue.

Her eyes widened. Was he really asking her this question? And now…that meant she had to answer?

"Um…I…I don't know". She bit her lip. "If you ask…I-I suppose that…you want to do this?"

"I have been holding back for a while", he admitted, so seriously while staring at her…she blushed furiously. Of course she had noticed! How could he be so calm about it?!

"Well…then…yes…you…can", she whispered shyly. She looked down, very self-conscious. The fact that he had announced his intention made it even more unsettling! She felt a finger push her chin up.

"I was expecting some sort of…smile", he commented, with wisps of questioning.

She looked at the ground again. "I'm-I'm sorry…it must be this powerful stare of yours again…"

"Hmph…"

"Oh I know…Why don't you smile a little?", she asked, staring back at him with a grin, suddenly forgetting her embarrassment.

He frowned, not expecting that bold request. "I won't do that", he replied curtly.

"Why?", she asked, with a pout. "I am sure you have the most beautiful smile!"

"How do you know?", he retorted, with a deeper frown.

"Oh I'm sure you do! Smile to me, lord Sesshomaru and please don't hide yourself for once! If you can bring me a flower, you can smile too! Please, please!", she begged with such innocence.

Then she saw his frown reduce a little and his lip turn up, ever so lightly, apparently amused by her pleas, amber eyes trying to look away. She was so happy she caught his face in her hands to force him to look at her, but he displayed a little resistance, not wanting to face her directly.

"What are you doing?", he asked with annoyance.

"Oh come on! You do that to me all the time! Now it's my turn!", she exclaimed.

His smile went a little wider on one side of his lips, and dared a sideways glance at her.

"That's a smirk", she observed, matter-of-factly.

"That's the best you will get", he retorted, still smiling.

"…You look uneasy", she commented, only at a few inches from his face.

"I feel…exposed", he complained, not liking at all her obsessional curiosity over his facial expressions.

She giggled a little, apparently entertained by his reaction. That made his expression a bit more genuine, smile a bit wider and softer gaze, almost all the mock gone from his feature. She noticed, gasping a little, and blushed in happiness.

"You are so handsome", she admitted in a whisper, with awe all over her feature.

He didn't wait a minute more to dive in, capturing her lips with his for just a short while, in a warm and soft kiss, just to tease her, making her heart flutter, before pulling back, examining her reaction.

Her cheeks obviously red, lips slightly open, she glanced up to meet his eyes…her own, half closed, expressing total disorientation, while his displayed curiosity and…longing.

The taunting tickling still lingering on her lips, a wild urge repressed for so long inside of Rin made her clutch at his fine clothes a bit roughly, pulling him towards her.

He didn't wait for another sign of approval and dove in again, more confidently this time, his lips crashing on hers, locking her to him, overwhelming her with his hotness and hunger, quenching his yearnings repressed for too long. She felt his arms surround her in a strong embrace, making sure she doesn't get away,

She responded eagerly, embracing him back and pressing her lips more firmly against his, feeling electric delight kicking in. She felt his hand grab the back of her head, and his tongue brush against her lower lip, requesting permission for more. She opened her mouth so willingly, wanting more of him, but it was even more intense than anything she had experienced before, intense tickling feeling violently entering in her entire being. He invaded her mouth, tongue stroking dominantly, bewitching her with his intoxicating seduction parade. She didn't stand a chance against him, his lips and tongue forcing her to subdue to his needs, overwhelming her so much…his lips felt heavier and heavier against hers. She started to feel dizzy, and foreign feels inside of unexplored parts of her being.

She let herself be pushed and her back fall on the crunchy leaves, but his protective hold took the blow for her, never breaking lips contact. He was now over her, and all traces left of coherent thoughts in her mind were fading away, now panting, as he kept taunting her lips, governing her in every possible way.

A sudden crack broke their trance, Rin was startled as the first fireworks exploded in the dark night, deep crimson and golden sparkling over them. She looked at them absently, still panting.

"You really want to watch this?", he hissed to her ear, offended by her distraction.

She frankly never had the chance to express her views as his lips nipped teasingly at her neck, while his hands grabbed her obi firmly. She felt like a prey, but she liked it so much. He went up to titillate her just under her ear, making her shiver as bolts consumed her body. She closed her eyes and surprised herself with a powerful moan…realizing it must be the first time in her life such an animalistic sound left her lips.

He didn't let her whimper any further and ravished her lips, forcing her to a blissful submission again. Drunk with deep desire, she teased him with her hands, as they started roaming over his body, one of them boldly tugging at his sash, effectively undoing it, getting easy access to his hot chiselled chest she had been wanting to see again for weeks... He had to break the kiss a moment, now panting because of the feeling of her butterfly touch and the refreshing breeze on his burning body, to get the upper part of his garbs out of the way hurriedly. Her simple and innocent touch brought a foreign and delicious feeling, no one before made him appreciate so much innocent touching; he concluded this must have been far too long since his last time with a woman. He stared back at her, with burning eyes, admiring the lust in hers.

"Untie me", she requested.

He frowned a little, sobering up ever so slightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please…I'm so…hot", she begged, closing her eyes, expressing a mix of aching and delight.

He wasn't begged twice, his impulse taking control as he reached for her intricate knot behind her back, ruining the fine work with hungry hands, removing her beautiful red obi nonchalantly and untying the soft tie holding everything in place. She looked intently at him as he opened slowly the furisode, as if unwrapping a precious treasure, observing her silhouette only concealed with a thin white hadajuban. She felt overwhelmed by the situation, wondering if he liked what he could see, thinking her human body must be a bit bland to his tastes…but his stare lingering on her made her think she could be wrong. She wondered if he was going to remove the rest…

She gazed unconsciously at the illuminated sky, wondering if it was how it was going to happen, virginity taken under neglected fireworks, her hair full of dried leaves, taken by her lord under a damp summer breeze.

She thought back about what she was told…how demons were demanding and impatient, her uneasiness intensified as she was startled by the sound of many cracking fireworks to her left, but Sesshomaru came quickly to the rescue, lowering himself, cuddling her in a comforting manner. She felt the warmth of his chest against the thin cotton covering her, while he whispered sweet nothings she barely heard, soft and warm breathing against her ear enough to lull her back to oblivion. She then turned her face towards his, hungry for more kisses. He obliged very willingly, his body becoming heavier on hers, the situation warming up again, her hands exploring his torso, and his caressing the sides of her waist and her hips and stomach, sometimes accidently brushing against the lower part of her breasts. She wouldn't have minded if he wandered more directly over there…

She opened her eyes, saw more blinding lights, and gasped deeply in ecstasy as she suddenly felt the friction of his body against hers, his chest brushing against her breasts while he kept torturing her, his hands tightly holding her hips against his, kissing indecently at some sweet spot under her ear again, her neck and red cheek. One of his hands suddenly covered her mouth, as more moans not so discreet escaped and anyone could hear them…

And then she realized she was all melting, blatantly stating her arousal, lancinating feel between her legs, forcing her to realize her body had long since outpaced her mind in readiness…All of this was so overwhelming, but she couldn't stop it, lust commanding her every move. He was already all over her, but her mature body wanted more of him, closer, deeper. She wrapped her legs tentatively around his waist, her thin clothing going up her legs, exposing her creamy-coloured skin, pulling him even closer against her need. She was quite sure she felt his too, and realized it only aroused her more. Her legs holding him now firmly made him pant against her neck, as he kept making her feel very suggestively what would ensue if she took all her clothes off, making her shiver in excitement. He freed her mouth of his hand to kiss her more, intense friction of their bodies driving them both mad.

She felt a hot hand on her leg, going up her inner thigh, the electrifying chill becoming more intense as he was going up, toward some forbidden and untouched place, still panting, intoxicated with her arousal and unspoken want.

…Just before ravishing one of the last bit of innocence left…he stopped…breathing against her neck…

"Rin…", he whispered.

She turned her head a little, her cheek brushing against his, not wanting to speak.

"If I go further…there is no turning back. Is this want you want?", he whispered between raged breaths, his hand still on the soft skin of her tight.

Only answered with silence, Sesshomaru lay on his elbows, and examined her face, staring at the sky: mix of arousal and confusion and…dread. Then he knew…

"It's okay", he whispered softly to her ear, his voice shrouding her fears, caressing her hair reassuringly. "You don't have to".

She stared back at him, now with a bit of puzzlement on her features. "But…I thought…I thought demons weren't…"

"What silliness did you hear now?", he whispered back, now caressing her cheek, gazing softly at her.

She just blushed and looked away.

"I-I might want to", she stammered shyly.

"But you aren't certain", he insisted.

"…No", she admitted.

"Then it is wrong to force yourself", he confirmed in a low voice, staring at her intently with his amber eyes. "You need to be sure…"

She smiled with a bit of disappointment, and also a bit moved at his unexpected gentleness. "O-okay"

She should have known he would have stopped the minute doubts crossed her mind, it was so like him to do so.

He laid his forehead against hers, savouring the closeness a bit longer before freeing her delicate body of his presence. They silently dressed up under the first rays of dawn, while the commotion of the celebrations got closer.

They disappeared into the last shadows of the night, not ready yet to witness their first daylight as new lovers.

…End of chapter…

A/N: Phew…

…

…I better get reviews for this!


	11. Crossroads

A/N : Whooaaaaa thank you everyone for your reviews, I feel all warm inside with the nice encouragements ^^ I am so happy I made you what must be the biggest chapter to date…I must stop beating my records in length all the time -_-

Seriously, without your comments I wouldn't be doing this. It makes me want to continue doing big 10 000 + chapters. Your input also allow me to find out what you like the most…what triggers your curiosity the most, and obviously, it helps me doing better work :) So keep the reviews coming people :P

And…I dunno why there are so many "guests" among you, but maybe you could just use initials or something…I can't differentiate you, and I'm quite sure there is more than one nameless guest around here and it's getting confusing to follow… :P I won't reply personally to each anonymous reviews this time, but it doesn't mean I didn't like you all: some made me smile, some made me think, others made me laugh. Please keep sharing your reactions everyone, I love feedback!

Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Crossroads

_Rustling leaves, chirping birds, endless chit chatting…The Lord of the Western Lands refrained a sigh. He didn't like this afternoon…at all…_

_He watched his two companions for the day, walking in front of him, apparently eager to show him something, yet they wouldn't say what it was exactly…nothing to soothe his irritations. He hated riddles, especially when they involved him losing an entire day, following two youngsters in human woods…_

_He stared at their squabble with boredom._

"_Rocks again?", inquired Rin, raising an eyebrow._

"_Yeah rocks, Rin! Rocks are cool okay? Look at this one. I'm pretty sure that if we break it, we'll find something like quartz…", answered Kohaku._

"_Quartz, what is that?"_

"_How can you not know what it is?! Quartz is very well known, this is an excellent material for arrowheads…", he replied with a little frown._

"_You are weird Kohaku…", she replied, face palming with all her might._

"_No I'm not!", he replied, annoyed._

"_Yes you are!", she retorted, teasing._

"_No I'm not!"_

"_Oh yes you aaaaare!"_

_Sesshomaru tried to overcome the fact his ward and her friend behaved just like he wasn't there…Joking with each other, fighting childishly…_

_He just wished they would finally arrive to their destination. He truly had other plans for the day…_

_Plans involving Rin…_

"_There we are!", exclaimed Kohaku._

_The human boy swelled out his chest in pride._

"_My Lord, prepare yourself: your ward is about to show you what she has become!", he announced dramatically. _

_Sesshomaru raised an annoyed eyebrow._

"_Oh Kohaku, stop it! Sesshomaru-sama has no time for your silly jokes", retorted Rin, gesticulating with exaggeration._

_Then, as if remembering the Lord of the Western Lands wasn't just some other human buddy, Kohaku blushed a little and scratched the back of his head._

"_Right…Well, do your thing …", he replied, a bit calmer._

"_Right!"_

_Rin grinned and took out a dagger from her obi._

"_You will see Sesshomaru-sama, I can fight too, now!", she exclaimed proudly._

_The youkai stayed quiet, and watched his ward walk towards a clearing._

_He was expecting some small animal, like a hare …His eyes widened a little when he saw Rin run towards an elk demon, with the antlers and all. Obviously, she hadn't the time to reach it before the beast felt the threat and charged at her._

_Sesshomaru hated that sight. He wanted to intervene so badly, but now that he understood that the whole point of this long walk was to show him "what she had become", he supposed he should just witness it and try to hide his disapproval. _

_Rin dodged the beast and had the guts to actually jump on its back. Kohaku laughed and cheered. Sesshomaru frowned._

"_My lord, what do you think?", asked Kohaku merrily._

_Sesshomaru didn't bother with a glance. He had to watch on her, because apparently, he was the only one doing so._

"_No need to worry, Sesshomaru-sama. Rin is fine. She did that a couple of times already", explained Kohaku, seeing the frown on the demon's features._

"_Why?", he asked stoically._

_Kohaku looked at him inquiringly. "What do you mean?"_

_Then irritated amber eyes glanced at the human boy._

"_Why did you bother teaching her…this?", asked the demon, with a mix of annoyance and disdain._

_Kohaku's eyes widened an instant. "But I…" He hesitated. "My lord, it is always useful for a woman to know how to fight, with wild demons and bandits around…Mere self defence as you suggested isn't enough, she must be able to fight on her own, in case of emergencies…"_

_Sesshomaru frowned. He was disappointed in the human boy._

"_Must I conclude that you are unable to protect her…Kohaku?", inquired the inuyoukai._

_Kohaku flinched, probably because Sesshomaru never used his name._

"_No…master Sesshomaru…I can protect her, I swear. My intentions were not to neglect her, but Rin has become a strong woman. She deserves to fight like the rest of us…"_

"_She doesn't need it…"_

"_But this is our way of doing things!", Kohaku replied boldly, but soon after, self consciousness took over, under Sesshomaru's hard gaze. "I apologize I-I didn't want to offend you, my lord…It's just that…she…she actually asked me to teach her…and quite frankly, I think she is happier this way…"_

_Then the boy bowed curtly, left the inuyoukai, and walked towards Rin, who had just killed the pray and was protesting because she noticed neither Sesshomaru, nor Kohaku had been watching. _

_He saw her run back to him, blood all over her linen yukata. He was glad she hadn't ruined one of his present for her show, at least._

"_My lord! You missed it!", she exclaimed, with a pout, but the smile came back soon after. "I will have to hunt another one then…"_

"_There is no need", he retorted, dryly. "We need to talk, Rin"_

_Her smile faded, all of a sudden. _

"_Of-of course my lord…", she whispered. _

_He glanced back at Kohaku, the boy badly hiding his guilt. "You should go…"_

"_O-okay…"_

_Kohaku smiled reassuringly at Rin and bowed, before storming off._

_Sesshomaru stared back at his ward, Rin blinked a few times._

"_I came to you today for a reason…", he stated._

"_What is it?", she whispered._

"_I believe you have stayed here long enough. It is time for you to choose your own…"_

"_No!", she interrupted, squeezing her eyes shut._

_Sesshomaru just stared, not sure what to think of that reply. She didn't even let him finish. She reopened her eyes, all the happiness she had expressed with her human friend gone._

"_I-I", she stammered. "I didn't think it was supposed to be…right now…"_

"_It was not, but I judge you have mastered living with humans. You can make an informed choice."_

"_But…but…I am not ready, my lord…", she whispered sadly, her eyes becoming glossy._

_And it was at that precise moment that the sense of her words formed a coherent and terrible conclusion in his mind. _

_She was lying. She had made her choice already…._

_She wasn't going to come back to him. She had chosen humans over him. But she was not ready to tell him and was afraid to bid farewell._

_Because it was the only thing that could come from such an answer: farewells. If she wished to be with humans forever, he would let her be, and she would become a memory._

_He supposed it was to be expected. Wasn't this why he left her in the first place?_

"_Please… I'm just…not ready for this right now…Kaede told me I would have to make this choice around my 18__th__ solstice, my lord, I wasn't prepared for this question…I need my year left to think", she insisted, talking quickly, nervously._

_Oh she was lying… he knew…if she wasn't aware she was lying to him, she was certainly lying to herself…he was at least sure of that…_

"_I understand", he lied back. _

_He turned on his heel, ready to leave her._

_She didn't try to call him or follow him. He smelt her tears, but he wasn't going to reach for her face to remove them._

_She had her human friends for this anyway…_

_Then he stopped walking, and glanced back._

"_Rin…"_

_She raised her head and brushed her tears quickly._

"_You seem to dread this question so much…is it even worth asking it again?"_

_Her eyes widened. _

"_I expect an truthful answer", he insisted._

"_Of course, my lord! Of course it is!"_

_She sniffed, and looked at the ground. "I apologize for disappointing you, my lord…but please… don't leave me forever. You must come back…I haven't…made my choice yet…", she pleaded._

_And then her tone had convinced him a little. She at least had the courtesy of displaying some hesitation. Yet, he was already felt dread at the prospect of hearing her final answer._

"_As you wish", he stated coldly._

And then, he had left her in the woods, without further goodbyes or protection. The primary reason: he knew Kohaku hadn't truly left anyway, and secondly, he was too upset to stay a minute more with them.

He hadn't visited Rin a single time that year, because he felt like she had made her choice already, and he didn't want to linger on what was lost…

And then there were the attacks. He came back to her at the end of spring and he brought her back with him…and he had behaved so inappropriately in less than a moon cycle…losing pathetically all this self-control…

"Hmph"

Sesshomaru poured icy water from the waterfall over his face. He was bathing in the water of a river, not too far from his mansion, yet not too close…At least, the cold water was helping him keep his mind…and other things…cool…

He contemplated how the situation had drastically changed in a year… He had lectured the human boy for not protecting Rin as he saw fit back then. A year later, he learns that they are about to marry…which was a surprise; he had always thought the human boy was only a friend to her…

…And then he also learns that Rin was mourning the human boy who had sacrificed his life for her while he, Sesshomaru, only showed up a week after the incidents…How ironic…

He remembered how blameworthy he felt when he had learned from the dying caretaker that Rin had lost Kohaku. It was ridiculous of him not to show up before. He should have expected there would be serious risks for her and her friends…

If only he had arrived in time, he might have been able to kill the snake in the human boy's stead…or maybe he could have brought him back from the dead with Tenseiga…

No. Instead he let the human boy deal with Rin's protection on his own, and it was far too late for revival by the time he showed up.

Was this the reason why he felt compelled to substitute him in every possible way now? Giving a flower and smiling to his widow-ward, because he felt remorse at the prospect he had, in a way, failed her, when she was so close to success?

Or maybe he did all these inane things, just because he was addicted at some thrill he felt, each time she expressed happiness?

Sesshomaru let more icy water fall on his face, and his hair, and he might have splashed the garbs he had left on the grass not too far away, but he couldn't care less.

He knew the sun was getting higher, and he would need to face the day soon enough, but he would enjoy every second left, trying to cool down his mind and soul, before going back to the arena that was his property.

He still couldn't comprehend how things could go as far as they did barely a few hours back. At some point, he was dancing with the blue woman, and almost everything was in control, and then, while dancing with Rin, he had to whisper madness to her ear, pushing her to behave like some scandalous temptress she wasn't, only to get something close to a declaration of war and finish the night in his ward's skirts, hearing her moan, and feeling the soft and warm skin of her thighs against him…

His jaw tensed badly. No…he couldn't think about the thighs, or the moans, or the sweet taste of her mouth…not now.

He gave up on trying to cool down and just shook his hair dry a little, got dressed and he walked back…

He had been angry with Kohaku for teaching her to hunt. He had been angry with Rin for not throwing herself in his arms the moment he had asked her the question she had begged to hear for years…He had felt miffed and betrayed back then…but now he knew the hurt might have been exacerbated by some envy…

Of course, he wasn't longing for her _this way_ back then, but he remembered how angry he had felt when he realized the human boy knew Rin much better than he did. With time, he had become a futile and useless presence in her life, because they were so different beings…and she had successfully learned to be at ease with her own kind…He was frustrated: he liked the little human who despised her own specie, but he knew it would have been selfish and unreasonable of him to simply keep her that way…

In the end, it had taken him a few moon cycles to overcome the fact that he had to let her go, for her own sake. Even if he had saved her, even if she owed him her life…even if she belonged to him…he had to let her go…

When the old woman suggested he should spend more time with her, he was even a little reluctant, because his grief was done already. But then, when he saw her cry in the temple from afar, a protector and a caretaker in less, he knew there was a void he wanted to fill…and then, without even wanting it, a bunch of disturbing events started to occur…

Never in his life had a woman affected him to the point he would do so many bold things in such a short timescale…things he _should_ regret…He shouldn't have whispered to her ear so many times…and even less in public, he shouldn't have caught her by the waist when she was playing…He shouldn't have brushed his lips against hers during the dance repetition, he shouldn't have made her develop the bad habit of holding his arm all the time…

He shouldn't have disrobed in front of her in the inn, back in the ghost town. He could still remember how swiftly she had left the room, but her arousal didn't go unnoticed…But worst than everything else, he shouldn't have taken her in his arms when she was crying, back in the cave. Maybe…just maybe…he wouldn't constantly be seeking her closeness; if he hadn't known how comforting his ward could wake a primal –and usually dormant – part of him.

In the end, he had only needed one hot, damp summer night, a bit of sake, and some fingers brushing against his chest to give up and throw himself at her, drifting from innocent courting to downright indecency…

He couldn't help but wonder: was it just insignificant lust or something else?

Damn it all…

He knew some unconscious part of his soul had been aching for her…for much longer than a month…if it was repressed and chaste at first, it sure was different now… he'd been away only for a few hours and he was already longing for her soft legs around his waist again.

Now he just openly sighed. How senseless the situation had become… He wasn't some human boy. He shouldn't feel this way…all troubled and addicted to her, pondering about his feelings and urges and what triggered them, he felt like a stripling who had felt attraction for the first time…all over again…

He repressed a groan as the castle came into sight. He had to pull himself together; he needed to be honest with her. He was not the human boy. So many things he did were just replicas of what that human had done before him, he felt like she enjoyed these replicas too much for her own good... He also knew he couldn't replicate what was the most important to Rin: he couldn't feel the same things as the human boy. Demons do not burn as intently as humans for certain things and she needed to understand before her fragile heart sank more.

…

He had told her she shouldn't look down. He told her she must look up and stare at anyone daring a glance a tad too long at her.

But now he wasn't there, and Rin was walking alongside the walls, with the terrible white powder on her again, to hide the dark circles under her eyes…and the love bites he had left on her neck.

She felt her face heat up intensely, as she was twisting a strand of hair with her finger, remembering what had transpired the night before. Now that was much worse than cuddling in her room. So much worse she hadn't slept of the night. Just after he had kissed her goodnight (kissed her goodnight, that's correct), she just sat in a corner of her room close to the window, staring at the receding night, feeling delighted, lost and so aroused all at once…

She wondered what it would be like, now that they had done so many intimate things in one night. Would he just glance at her with his usual impassiveness, or stare at her with burning ambers…

Would he want to display affection in public? Certainly not…

And then a terrible thought crossed her mind. What if he had regrets? Could he just reject her? No…no way, not after the flower, and all of his half spoken insinuations…and the kisses on the lips…and everywhere else…To kiss her so hard he would leave marks, it had to mean something!

But then, she realized she had no idea how she should behave next time she sees him. What were they to each other now? He did ask her a question going in that sense last night, but she never had the time to articulate an answer, which left some big blank space on the status of their relationship…

She sighed. Oh there will be some awkwardness she was sure…

Then she realized that, even though she was walking alongside the walls in hopes to remain incognito, many MANY people were openly staring at her, whispering to each other's ears as she passed by.

Oh…Kami…Could she just die already?

Then she felt a hand on her wrist, and as she glanced to her right, she recognized Nozomi, looking at her with wide green eyes.

"Rin there you are!", she whispered in a panicked tone. "Come! Come!"

And she brought her in an adjacent hallway, trying to stay away from prying eyes and ears.

"What the hell Rin?!"

"What the hell, what?", Rin asked back, a bit annoyed.

"The entire night, really?", Nozomi questioned, bewildered. "Weren't you supposed to be gone just for the fireworks?"

"What are you talking about?", inquired Rin, uncertain. "He…brought me back to my room when it was over…I need my sleep, you know…"

"I know that, but he wasn't seen by anybody, since you left the ballroom! You say he wasn't with you?"

"Huh…no", replied Rin, a bit confused. She bit her lip. Why would he just disappear like that, she wondered.

"Well you know…people are talking."

"Yeah…I got that already…"

"…The Lady Mother is totally mad!", exclaimed Nozomi. "You should really stay away from her…I'm afraid she will kill you or something…"

Rin looked at her friend worriedly and looked at the main corridor, a familiar pale silhouette staring at them with seething, lemony eyes.

Rin gulped. Why had Nozomi chosen the worst timing ever to reveal that little piece of information?

"What…what's wrong?", wondered the kitsune.

"Just in case…it was nice to know you, Nozomi", she whispered, as the pale threat approached them.

The fox-girl stared over her shoulder, and instantly looked back at Rin, panic all over her features.

"Rin…", said the Lady Mother, with an icy smile. "Nozomi-chan…Would you be so kind and leave us for a while?"

The kitsune nodded, bowed and left in a quick walk that became a panicked race as soon as she left the corridor. Knowing her a little, Rin thought that she might… just might… be searching for help to get her out of this mess…she could maybe try Jaken…or Sesshomaru, if she found him…

Rin stared back at the Lady Mother. She had never seen her so openly angry before. In fact, she had never seen her angry at all…

"Mind to tell me what crossed your mind yesterday ?", inquired the inu demon, narrowing her eyes.

Rin didn't know what to say, so she just played dumb…hoping she would get an idea of just how much the Lady Mother knew already.

"Lady Sasori…I don't understand…"

"Oh please, stealing my seat, exchanging complicity glances with my son as soon as Lady Amane left the table, hug him during the waltz... and now you even had to leave all public celebrations to _lark around_…"

"My lady…this is not what you think it…"

"Please…", she huffed icily. "I bet you will tell me you were just watching the fireworks?"

"Well…we…we were…", Rin replied hesitantly.

"Of course…", and then Lady Sasori smiled. "They were beautiful weren't they?"

"Yes, the colours were gorgeous…"

"Oh, but haven't you looked at their shape, dear Rin? I personally loved the dragon just before the end. What did you think of it?", she asked, eyes narrowed.

Rin smiled innocently. "I think it was dazzling …"

"But you know…there were many other shapes…the powder artisan, he even made a shape or two just for you, you must know which one I meant…", insisted Sasori with a smirk.

Then Rin blinked. Lady Sasori raised an eyebrow.

"…You haven't watched the fireworks…at all…"

"I-I…", Rin stammered.

"That's even worse than I thought…", Sasori whispered. "And I was certain he would be the only problem…You disappoint me, Rin…"

While Rin was hesitating whether she should just acknowledge and apologize, or whether she should deny more (which would probably be a horrible idea at this point), she did notice a few stares from people passing by…and then…she saw Nozomi again in the main corridor, pointing at her, to someone she couldn't see yet…

And then…enters Sesshomaru…Oh Kami…she fetched him!

In all other contexts, seeing him would have been a relief, but now, his sight brought a mix of bliss and dread, not knowing how she should behave in his presence. It was so hard to bear she just wanted to leave this place at once…

The lady mother noticed he was there without even glancing back. She just crossed her arms, waiting for him to arrive.

"Mother, why does my ward look troubled?", he asked blankly.

"Oh please…and you still have the guts to call her _ward_?", she asked in a hiss.

Rin gasped. He stayed expressionless.

"…I thought you would wait a more appropriate time for your interrogations…", he murmured a bit grumpily.

"Appearances are already ruined anyway", she replied coldly. "Now that you are here, I have a question for you as well…"

She took something from her obi, and Rin tried not to scream when she recognized the jewel she had in her hair the day before, broken.

Oh it was so innocent last night, when he broke it for her, but now that jewel looked so full of filthy secrets, damaged like that in the daylight…

"A maid found this in the grass this morning. You have no clue what happened?", asked the Lady Mother innocently.

Rin stared back at Sesshomaru, who displayed perfect –just perfect– impassiveness.

"It looks like a claw, rather than than human hands, did this…", insisted his mother.

Rin wanted to die. A wisp of irritation crossed her lord's eyes.

"This question is irrelevant", he replied coldly.

"I expect an explanation", his mother shot back.

"You are evidently so knowledgeable already…Why should I bother?", he retorted.

She raised an eyebrow. "You don't even care enough to deny?"

"No", he replied icily. "Now if you will excuse us, we have other business to attend to"

He put his hand at the small of Rin's back, forcing her out of the doomed corridor. She was relieved he saved her, yet a little nervous at the prospect of being alone with him, in front of everyone…

She just walked next to him, silently, at a safe distance.

Heavy heavy silence…

Oh this was definitely awkward…

There were even more prying eyes now…More whispers, even a few exclamations…

Then he darted a sideways glance.

"You haven't slept", he observed, apparently oblivious to prying eyes.

Rin wanted to curse. Why was she so transparent to him?

"Indeed", she acknowledged.

"Why?"

"I-I was thoughtful…that's all", she said evasively.

Then he stopped walking, and she had to do the same, and was forced to look at his serious features.

"Do you have regrets?", he asked straightforwardly.

Rin blinked. She wasn't expecting a question like that from him in front of everyone.

"Wh-what do you mean?", she asked innocently.

He didn't answer, his eyes expressing something in the lines of "_Please, save your play for someone else…"_

"No", she replied curtly.

"No…", he repeated, still questioning.

Then she felt bold. "No, as in…it was the best night of my entire life", she said in all seriousness.

His eyes widened for a moment. He definitely was taken aback by her answer. She did that…Rin felt proud.

"If so, why do you look so distant and troubled?", he asked back, retrieving his cold demeanour.

She bit her lip nervously. "Well I-I…didn't want to attract more attention…"

She must be talking of all the staring. He had to admit even he was a little surprised by the stares, he didn't think his personal doings would trigger so many exaggerated reactions.

He briefly thought about whipping a couple of lurkers, to give the example, but decided against it. Rin would probably not like that very much. He did glare at a few people watching, though…that calmed the crowd for now…Then he glanced back at her.

"Expressing shame will not solve the issue", he retorted.

"I am not ashamed", she replied back, without hesitation.

"Then take my arm and just be casual", he ordered.

Her eyes widened, but she obliged, taking his upper arm, and moved on as if that same body part hadn't been holding her, while his mouth and hands were busy doing some other _things_ to her a few hours ago.

She frowned. She was surprised at how cool his arm was, as they walked through the endless corridors.

"What is this business we have to attend to anyway?", she asked suddenly.

"We have to bid goodbyes to the guests."

"No way…do we really have to?", she asked in a complaining manner.

"I see we share parallel eagerness", he commented, matter-of-factly, glancing at her.

She giggled at his sarcasm, and held his arm a little tighter.

"It will be awkward, with your date…", she commented, feeling reckless.

"Why do you even acknowledge her existence", he retorted, with clear annoyance.

"Well, you have to prepare yourself", she observed.

"She must be gone already", he retorted, in denial.

And then they arrived at the main entrance…most people already there; even the Lady Mother had outpaced them again. Rin still couldn't comprehend why Sesshomaru always succeeded arriving last, wherever he went. She started to believe he was taking detours just to live up to his reputation.

Then she saw the newlyweds, talking to each other, and then they saw them, and she had to bear a pair of smirks. Sesshomaru just ignored them.

Then Rin realized she was still next to him and she was probably stealing the place of his mother again.

"Should I go at the back or something?", inquired Rin, while bowing for guests that had just bowed to her.

"…I won't reprimand you for staying", he replied, nodding at some guests. He didn't bow. Sesshomaru never bowed.

"Heyyyy", started Tenmaru, approaching them.

"Go away", retorted Sesshomaru dryly.

"What the hell…why are you so grumpy, dear cousin?", he inquired with a smirk, then he glanced back at Rin, inspecting her.

"You look gorgeous, sweet Rin", he commented.

"Oh please…I know I look terrible", she replied back.

"Not at all. Your hazel eyes have such a captivating glow this morning. I can't help but wonder what you dreamed about last night…"

Rin blushed, and Sesshomaru just openly glared at him, the cousin flinched.

"Anyway, sweet Rin… I just wanted to inform you that you owe me", he said.

She blinked a few times. "What?"

"This is not the time", retorted Sesshomaru coldly.

"But there will be no other time", the cousin protested.

"What are you talking about?", asked Rin, while glancing at her lord.

"Nothing", both men answered in unison.

Tenmaru just huffed. "Well whatever, I suppose he wants to keep the news undisclosed for now…I'll leave you to your business now…Lord Sesshomaru…_Lady_ _Rin_", he said, bowing and winking at her.

Rin just blushed. A few vassals called her lady…but not Tenmaru…She supposed he just meant it as a pun and stared back at her lord.

"Sesshomaru-sama. What was he talking about?", she asked again.

"You will know in due time", he replied absently.

And then she saw his amber eyes darkening. Rin saw a few guards pass by her, and instantly recognized their colours as those of the Central Lands.

…So the blue lady was still there…Wonderful…

Soon enough, Rin found herself staring back at the big azure eyes with surprisingly, no trace of hatred or contempt in them. Lady Amane simply smiled and nodded.

"It was a pleasure, Lady Rin", she said formally, with her misty voice. "I wish you a good life. I bid you my _farewells_ now…"

Rin felt her blood freeze in her veins, but she just assumed Amane was bidding farewells because of her short lifespan. Rin had the courtesy to smile and bow.

Then the blue lady stared at Sesshomaru, and smiled sweetly.

"It was such a pleasure to see you again, my lord", she said softly.

Rin stared back at him: perfect icy mask. "Likewise, my lady", he replied blankly.

Lady Amane approached him and hugged him. He put a hand behind her back, just like when she got in, but Rin thought the gesture looked a bit stiffer from both parties.

"I wish you safe travels. Our roads are _unfortunately uncertain_…", he said aloofly, lingering on the two last words.

"Do not trouble yourself with such futilities, my lord. I must insist these celebrations were beautiful, and I sincerely hope our next encounter will be as _heartening_", she said sincerely.

"Likewise, my lady", he repeated. "Enjoy the next few centuries in the meantime", he finished, a bit more dryly.

Lady Amane smiled. "Oh you are so pessimistic, my lord. I am sure our next encounter will be much sooner", she whispered.

"You think so?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I will make sure of it", she insisted with a mysterious smile.

"Then I am already looking forward to it", he replied, sounding almost flirty, but a quick stare at him told Rin he was just lusting for blood.

And then the blue lady left, and Rin sincerely hoped Lady Amane was right for one thing…

That she would never see her again!

And then…there were no other guests left. People started to scatter around, as Rin stared at all the flower garlands that will need to be removed, the celebrations truly over.

She wondered what she was going to do now…

"There is one last council meeting before the groom's departure", said Sesshomaru in a low voice. "I must talk to you after"

Rin nodded and watched him leave, mind full of questions.

…

…So full of questions, she actually strolled in adjoining corridors to the study after an hour or so, waiting intently for their meeting to end. She could hear a few muffled sounds of conversations, but to her dismay, she couldn't hear what they were talking about. She knew Sesshomaru had a bad encounter with Lady Amane the day before, and she had the impression, from the angriness he had displayed, that the discussion wasn't merely sentimental. She wanted to hear them so bad…

So while trying to snoop at their meeting, hoping she would get something, she just pretended to be busy removing some flower garlands, already starting to wither because of the ridiculous heat. She was a bit sad that all her hard work was to be thrown away already. That was the problem with flowers: they are pretty, but always temporary…

And then the doors opened, Rin's eyes widened a little…That meeting had been quick. All vassals rushed out, walking quickly, none of them acknowledging her presence. They looked busy.

She didn't see Sesshomaru get out, so she assumed he was waiting for her.

She was right. He was standing, his back lying against one of the bookshelf, arms crossed. Rin stared at him a moment. He was wearing his usual white attire now, with his armour and all. It felt a bit odd because he hadn't worn it very often recently. He looked aloof.

Rin closed the door and smiled at him. He didn't smile back…obviously.

"What were you doing in the corridors, Rin?", he inquired, mildly interested.

"Just removing some flowers…"

"The servants will take care of that", he replied curtly. "…Were you curious about our discussions?"

"Hum…no…Even if I wanted, I couldn't hear, quite frankly", she blurted out.

He raised an eyebrow. She supposed she had just given herself up.

"I-I had nothing better to do…", she half-tried to justify.

"Well if you are searching for an occupation, maybe you should look at this", he said, giving her a rolled parchment.

Rin took it with a frown, wondering what it was, but quite frankly it wasn't her primary source of concern at the moment.

"I wasn't myself yesterday", he said, coldly, glancing at something behind her.

Rin gulped, hoping he wouldn't say what she thought he might say.

"But…you don't…regret anything…right?", she asked, hopefully.

He gazed at her, noticing all the worry in her hazel eyes.

He thought it was odd how she seemed so attached to him, when it was all the contrary barely a year ago. At that time, she was falling for her _human_ _boy_…

He suddenly wondered why he couldn't help but keep thinking of that unpleasant memory. He supposed it was a way for him not to act like an infatuated pup around her for once…

"No, I do not regret", he said finally. "However, I wasn't expecting it. I didn't plan it."

"I think these things are rarely premeditated, my lord", she whispered.

She was right. But he wasn't of a spontaneous nature. At least, not until recently…He had to stop his unpredictable actions around her all the time…He had opened up too much, too quickly…This was getting risky…

"There are implications you must be aware of, before going further", he stated.

Rin listened, her eyes a little wider than usual, as if she was waiting to receive some painful blow. He hated to see her like that. He just wanted to reach for her and…

"First of all, I am not a human boy, Rin."

She flinched a little. "I know that, my lord…"

"Do you?", he asked curtly.

Rin felt like asking what he meant, but somehow, she knew already where this was going…

_I am a demon Rin…I can't love you like he did, Rin. These are feelings beyond my reach…Rin…_

Yet, the little wisp of spite in his question made her believe she may need to think more about that short question before jumping to conclusions.

"…You must understand_ involvements_ with demons are different", he stated, matter-of-factly.

"How so?", she asked in a low voice.

"They can be notoriously intense, yet most are emotionally detached, are often short…and sometimes end brutally", he continued, monotonously.

Rin blinked a few times, not sure what to think of this information. The emotionally detached part sure was predictable, considering his own mother had insisted that "love was just for servants and courtesans" a while back. She stared at the floor. This little reminder was like a cold shower.

"My lord…what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to convince me to…stay away?", she asked in whisper.

She hadn't noticed he had approached her. She felt his cool hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at his indecipherable gaze.

"I am not pushing you away. I am merely informing you…I can care for you in many ways, but they can't be the same as _his_…"

"I understand, my lord", she whispered, looking down.

At least he wasn't…rejecting her…

He frowned. "Maybe you should give some thoughts about this while I'm away, to make sure this situation suits you…"

It was her time to frown. "You are leaving my lord?"

"For a few days. Borders trespassing issues."

"Ah yes, I had forgotten", she whispered, looking back at him, with sad eyes. "I wish you safe travels, then"

He stared at her a moment. He hated when she looked at him with those big, sad, beautiful eyes…

"I must leave expeditiously, but there will be other topics I need to discuss with you after my return."

She nodded. "I will be waiting eagerly"

And then, she hoped he would kiss her goodbye, or maybe hug, or even just nod, but he simply left, without proper salutations. She stared back at the floor, sad, and shivered slightly, as a chilly breeze of an open window brushed against her spine.

…

Rin's eyes widened, as she read the content of the parchment Sesshomaru had given her. It was one of his reports about human lands. There were troops from the Central Lands going south, in the direction of her village.

She felt odd as she remembered her home was there. She felt like she had been gone for years, yet she left only about a moon cycle ago, or so.

She wrote rushed letters to Kagome and Inu-Yasha, giving off as much details as possible, so the village could get prepared and she ran back to the study, to get to the herons. She opened the doors without knocking, and was met with a pair of icy citrine-coloured eyes.

"Lady Sasori", she whispered.

The Lady Mother stared a few seconds and got back to her paperworks, without saying anything. Rin gulped. Of course…she was still mad. Not wanting to anger her more, she discreetly walked in the direction of the balcony doors and noticed how thick dark clouds covered the sky again.

"More rain…", whispered Rin, unhappy.

She ran towards the birds, gave off her letters and watched them leave, wondering if it would take them more time to get to her village because of the bad weather. She hoped the news would get to them in time.

She felt a few drops starting to fall on her, and the wind blow more and more fiercely. Feeling nervous, she ran her way up the stairs and got back inside, relief washing over her as she closed the door.

Then she remembered the Lady Mother was there. She had lit a candle because of the lack of light. Rin looked at her worriedly. Sesshomaru's mother had every reason to be angry. Rin knew she wasn't only one to blame, her lord and even his cousin had some responsibility in ruining all the chances for things to go well with Lady Amane, but Rin supposed that it wouldn't have been as bad if she hadn't been there.

Sesshomaru may think he owed no explanation to his mother, but Rin felt like she owed her at least an apology. She remembered it was his mother who had invited the Lady of the Heartlands. Rin walked slowly towards her, the lemony eyes rising as the human ward stood in front of her.

"What is it?", she asked with mild interest.

Rin's lip quivered a little, a bit nervous, not knowing where to start.

"I-I…" She sighed. "I'm sorry Sasori-sama, for everything!", she whispered, bowing sheepishly.

"Apologies are futile. The evil is done", the youkai woman replied coldly.

"I know! But it changes nothing to the fact I didn't meet your expectations…and I feel responsible for Lord Sesshomaru's argument with Lady Amane…I never thought that some jokes with Tenmaru or a silly dance could harm the situation so much I…"

"Oh please, little human, don't take all the blame for the men's doings", she retorted coolly. "You were a little pawn in some bigger play. I am simply disappointed you assisted in my son and my nephew's little games so willingly. I thought you had a better sense of judgement."

Rin blinked a few times. "I am afraid I don't really understand what you are talking about…"

The Lady Mother frowned. "You have no idea?"

Rin stared at the floor shamefully. "Not really…"

"Well. Tenmaru's case is simple. His fief was one of the first to be bothered with Lady Amane's nomadic tribes. And for some reason, he hated her from the moment he first laid eyes on her, thinking she is a hypocrite lady. Back then, he was young like my son and I thought he was delusional, but maybe he was more perceptive than we all were…", explained Lady Sasori thoughtfully. "And about Sesshomaru…Are you at least aware of what transpired between him and the Lady before?"

"Well I know there are hard feelings between Sesshomaru-sama and Lady Amane, because of some past story…involving a marriage and the Central Lands taking over…"

"…You know Lady Amane actually reiterated this offensive idea of putting her hands on the Western Lands in exchange for a marriage?", inquired the Lady Mother.

Rin blinked a few times "What? Yesterday?"

"Yes." The Lady Mother laughed. "Oh …I hope you didn't think the argument between Sesshomaru and Amane was all about you?"

Rin looked at her, trying to process the information. The slap…so it really wasn't because of her? A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

The Lady Mother laughed louder. "Oh poor sweetheart. I thought you had assumed from Lady Amane's affronts at the dinner table that there was no way Sesshomaru would ever reconcile with her…"

"Well…I understood she insulted him in a way…When she mentioned her court…but I am not sure what it meant…"

"It meant Lady Amane saw no reason to accommodate my son with the snakes attacking us, because she thinks he is below her."

"Oh…", whispered Rin.

"Being the prideful demon he is, Sesshomaru felt the urge to express his warm feelings to this lady. I'm positive he left her, gave you a flower and danced so suggestively with you, to imply to Lady Amane that she was below a human to him. I must admit I would have been very insulted, if I had been in her situation. Especially since Sesshomaru does not historically have a reputation to be very warm towards humans, on contrary of my late husband…" She sighed. "In a way, I do understand why he did so. She had no reason to treat him like he was a subject of hers…"

Rin frowned at the prospect the dance with her might have been a weapon Sesshomaru used to anger Lady Amane. Even the flower would have been a trick? That didn't make any sense…he seemed so honest…

"Lady Amane ordered him around?", Rin asked finally, a bit absently.

"She was bossy with him all day. Haven't you noticed how she insisted for him to get out of the dinner table to dance? What kind of lady does that?", commented Sasori with exasperation.

"Hum…I suppose most ladies aren't so straightforward, indeed", commented Rin, staring at the floor. She did ask a dance to Sesshomaru herself, but she supposed the situation couldn't compare: she did beg him in a sweet manner without no one around…except Jaken…

"Sesshomaru is not submissive, as you may know already. He simply gathered all his spite to throw it back at her at the end of the day…And…with her repeating the Western Lands should just be a part of the Central Empire without him accessing power…all the ingredients for a calamity were reunited". Then the Lady Mother sighed again. "And I thought that stupid idea of indexation was all Lord Sakuza's notion. It never crossed my mind that Lady Amane shared the same view as her father. She seemed to be a sweet girl when she first met my son… I hoped she would propose reasonable terms of fusion…"

"And you thought Lord Sesshomaru would agree to a merger with the Central Lands?", inquired Rin sceptically.

Sasori looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Well…you do know him a little, don't you? I knew the odds were weak, but I was hoping her pretty eyes would make him change his mind…She is the only pretender who ever caught his attention, after all…Had they behaved reasonably, they could have agreed on reasonable terms for power sharing…but it seems Amane was as uninterested as him to make compromises. She even pretended she wasn't aware of her snakes' actions, at some point during the day, which is a folly…"

"She did say she wasn't responsible for their doings, at the table…", remembered Rin.

"Yes, a pitiful excuse to save face, if you ask me. Quite frankly I think the way she changed must be my biggest disappointment of the day…", the Lady Mother explained with a frown. "They had the potential to be a formidable team, back then…And now, they do everything my late husband wished to avoid with Lord Sakuza: fight over small parcels of territory and other nonsenses…However, considering the Heartlands may have conquered the North and the East already, the situation is even worse than I thought…"

Rin's eyes widened. "She…she conquered other lands?"

"If her sayings are true, the Western Lands is the only demon nation still independent from this empire of hers. Of course, it will take her a while to conquer the West, if that notion ever crosses her mind, but her power sure is disquieting…"

"Yes…she is raiding human lands as well…", added Rin worriedly.

"You must have seen how everyone got out swiftly of the study without saying a word earlier?"

"Yes…I thought it was strange", commented Rin.

"All these people left to secure the borders as best as they could. That means Sesshomaru will have to intervene all by himself, with the assistance of Kireru, in some uproar at the Southern borders with demons and humans…I think he must be thrilled to be almost alone, if you ask me…"

"So a war is at our doors?", whispered Rin, as if afraid to say it out loud.

Lady Sasori frowned. "It is hard to know at this point. Let's say we have every reason to behave carefully…"

Rin thought silently of all of this, still sticking to the fact Sesshomaru may have used her as a pawn. That unsettled her. But then, would he have kissed her if she were just a tool? Obviously not. And he did call what they had "an involvement" earlier…

Rin frowned at all the complexity of these tales. Her life back at the village was so peaceful compared to all these rumours and speculations…

"You know what anger me the most of you frolicking with my son, yesterday?", asked Sasori with a frown. "Lady Amane has apparently become a vile and greedy creature. And yet, being openly disrespected by my son like this, she is the one who looked like a victim. She is the one bullying us, but she gets the sympathy of the foreign emissaries and some of Sesshomaru's vassals…She even shed a tear or two after their fight, making her play all the more credible… "

Rin had no difficulty to believe the Lady Mother, with all the stares at her…at them…this morning…They weren't friendly stares…

Then she saw lightning and heard the roar of thunder. She stared back at the window, thinking. Lady Sasori did the same.

"Lady Amane, you were the one saying that it is a fancy name, a while ago…", mused the Lady Mother.

"Yes…"

"Do you know what it means in ancient tongue?", the Lady Mother asked, citrine eyes meeting hazels.

"Um…"

"A-ma-ne…_The sound of rain_… little Rin…", Sasori said, watching the drops hitting the window. "My son will say I behave like a hare who heard the sound of a fruit fall, if you repeat him this, but if you want my view, I believe we should brace ourselves. A terrible storm is about to strike."

…

"I think it was the smart thing to do my lord…providing them with weapons…", commented Kireru, arms crossed behind his neck.

"It was inspired of one of my father's previous tactics…", replied the youkai lord absently.

In close to a hundred years of reign, it is indeed the first time he ever considered furnishing weapons to humans from neighbouring villages. But with the snakes pestering everyone, he supposed spending a bit of coins for weapons was a way to make the humans pull back without a bloodbath and will avoid embarrassing colonization attempts on his lands. He may not be the harshest demon with humans anymore, but he'd rather avoid unnecessary proximity with them. He also knew Totosai wouldn't mind a few extra coins, and providing humans with weapons might help securing his own borders. Now he just hoped that hypothesis will be correct…

"I'm glad we can finally go back, I think the rain will be on us soon", continued the fox demon.

Sesshomaru frowned. Five days had passed since his departure. Chasing down demons and having his fox vassal negotiate with humans had taken longer than expected. Now if only it wouldn't rain…they could fly their way back and they could be back at his mansion before nightfall. And then he could see her again…

Thoughts of Rin had been pestering him since his departure, like an injury that wouldn't heal. It was a terrible idea to leave her just like that…and talk to her so harshly…

He frowned deeper…He really talked to her like she was just some random courtesan…pretending any involvement with him wouldn't last…

Yet, no involvement he had with any woman had ever lasted. When he warned her, he was convinced that if Rin was prepared for the worst, she wouldn't become too demanding and he could resume to his obligations without exaggerated distractions.

…And that brought him back to the terrible question that had been pestering him since his departure…

What was she exactly to him?

…He very well knew what he told her wasn't right. He didn't want anything with her to be like what he had with all the other women who had warmed his bed.

Yet he had no idea what it would be like. He never had this sort of involvement with someone he had known for as long as Rin…And it was also true most passionate involvements implying demons were short…especially those between a human and a demon. However, he knew of no other of his kind that had known a human for so long…he felt like his situation was completely empty of precedents he could rely on…

Rin…The memory of her sweets sighs and her legs wrapped around him plagued him for a while…again…He closed his eyes a moment. What he would give for another cold river…

She was his ward…yet the word could hardly be considered correct to qualify what she was to him anymore…

And yet, courtesan implied that his interest was only vulgar and very ephemeral…qualify her as a lover would have similar implications, though a bit less offensive…

Could she be a mate? He pushed that thought away as soon as it came. Rin was human. If he ever became insane enough to take her as his first official mate, that would mean that a hanyou offspring could become his heir. Now that would create some havoc and chaos he was sure of it. And having a half-breed lead the Western Lands was simply a ridiculous idea. It was out of the question…

And again, he arrived to the same conclusion as all the other times he thought about this: Rin simply didn't fit any categories. She was just Rin, and there was no way the mystery about her involvement with him could be solved any time soon….

He will just have to keep calling her ward for the time being…until she helps him clarify what she could be to him …

…He hoped that what he had in mind for her in the short term will suit her fancy though…He also hoped this would be worth it, as he expected his choice might very well affect his image among his subjects…

Then some peculiar object he saw under a willow tree distracted him. Frowning, he walked towards it and crouched to take it, inspecting it with keen interest. His vassal glanced at him with curiosity.

"A…seashell? My Lord, where did you get this?", Kireru wondered.

"On the ground."

"Why would a seashell lie around here? This is so incongruous…", the fox commented.

"Hmph."

Then Sesshomaru absently wondered if this curious object would interest Rin…

He repressed a sigh, dropped it on the ground and resumed his walk.

He wasn't the human boy. He wouldn't just pick random items for her each time he travelled.

But then, as if the world wanted to torment him more, he saw another seashell on the ground, and another one, and another one…and Kireru spotted many others too.

"There is definitely a merchant from the sea who came across this place…", the fox commented.

"The sea is far", replied Sesshomaru, looking at one particularly good-looking seashell, spiral shaped, with a mix of ivory white and golden hues. Even he found the little object interesting to look at. He frowned and hid the intricate item in a pocket, giving up at his attempts at self control…_again_…

_Rin…you will be the death of me…_

"I suggest we talk about this discovery during our next meeting", said Kireru, picking a few. "Maybe baron Hatsuno knows something…His fief is the one who has access to the sea…There are absolutely no reason for sea merchants to travel around here…"

"Hmph."

…

Rin looked at her wardrobe with boredom. Terrible, horrible, unbearable boredom.

She had been so bored she helped remove all the flowers around the castle. In fact, she almost did it all by herself.

She had been so bored, she classified her wardrobe in three different ways. First time by colour, then she tried by style, and she finally decided that by season was the best option.

She had been so bored she even started reading _The Pink Orchid._ Ahhh the terrible book…it didn't help with her torments. The Fay from the tale had so many similarities with her: a cheerful and bubbly character…However, even though the character was described as innocent, that said Fay knew exactly what to do to bring her conquests to her bed. Rin blushed, wondering if she should experiment with some of the less sulphurous tricks.

At least Sesshomaru wouldn't reproach her to mistake him for Kohaku. She had never felt the need to try these kinds of tricks with her dead boyfriend. Their relationship was all about genuine sentiments, innocence, and taking their time to know each other, because the implicit plan, had obviously been to get married and take a lifetime to get to know each other.

Sesshomaru's insinuation about her mixing him up with Kohaku had troubled her. She didn't understand everything he meant at first, but now that she thought about it, it was true that she may have pushed him to do things Kohaku had done before him…give a comforting hug…force him to chase her…even during the incident with the snake, she had put him in the same situation as Kohaku, while she tried to help him!

What was worse is that she didn't think he was even aware of all these examples…

She frowned. Maybe she had been confused at some point…But then again, should it matter? Every time they ever were in similar situations, the outcomes had been different. Nothing had felt the same. Kohaku and Sesshomaru were simply opposites in so many ways…And what she shared with her lord became something entirely different…

Then, she thought back about the other things Sesshomaru had said… involvements with demons being emotionally-detached…short…with brutal endings…

And then she thought back about some things Tenmaru said, such as demons being impatient, and love never lasting forever. There was some notion that involvements with demons were short-lived, and that disturbed her a little, because she very well knew what had happened between Inu-Yasha's parents had been short too.

Yet, even though she was very well warned of the risks, she kept thinking of him, day and night. Haunted by his soft whispers to her ear, his entrancing kisses, his hot body against hers, his hand caressing her hair…or her thigh…

She blushed.

He asked her to give some thoughts about the situation, but she very well knew she wanted to be with him…There never was a doubt. Day and night, since the wedding, she felt a haunting addiction that she had never felt before. She felt like she would always crave the intensity of what she shares with him until there was nothing left from it, if that day ever came…

And if there were still doubts lingering in her mind before the wedding, there was no way for her to deny the fact that she had truly fallen in love with him... The girly crush was over, and it was way too late to step away. She will stay by his side, even if it meant he might break her heart someday or that he may not ever comprehend how her feelings for him are strong.

For some reason, she kept thinking he hadn't been "emotionally detached" at all with her lately, and that he was just in some state of denial over the fact he could feel something strong too…but as long as he didn't acknowledge what their involvement was all about, she had no way to be sure...

"Rin! Are you there?", asked a croaky voice.

Rin startled. "Master Jaken? Yes! Please come in!"

He opened the door and cleared his throat.

"Lord Sesshomaru will be back any minute now. His mother smelt his presence nearby."

She felt her heart skip a beat. "Oh really?"

"Yes. It is expected he will meet with some of his subjects as soon as he will back, but you may want to prepare for dinner. He will, without a doubt, expect your attendance."

That last part was said with big knowing eyes. Rin blushed and smiled.

"Of course master Jaken! Thank you so much for letting me know!"

"You are welcome Rin. Now I must go, Sesshomaru will expect my presence as soon as he gets in."

Rin nodded and let him leave. She frankly wanted to do the same, but she also thought about applying some tricks from the Fay…Who always made her men wait a little…She smiled mischievously and opened her balcony doors, and picked a few yellow camellias.

She had never chased after a man before. Except once, when she was eight years old, to escape from a pack of hungry wolves.

She intended to show him she could chase again…

…

He got inside his room and closed the door, relieved to be away from other living beings for a short while. His council meetings tended to be a pain these days…

He removed his armour and the top of his garbs, a bit humid from some rain they caught, throwing it unceremoniously on the floor.

He was a little surprised his ward had been absent when he got in. He thought she would have been waiting for him at the entrance, next to Jaken, big smile on her face.

…But she wasn't there. He wondered if she was mad at him for being too cold before his departure…

Then he saw a narrow vase on his desk, with flowers in it: pale yellow, a sort he didn't recognize. He couldn't pick up the fragrance. He walked slowly towards them, picked one, bringing it to his keen nose.

He frowned; there was no flowery fragrance at all…

Then it struck him…It had a light scent…

It smelt of her…_her fragrance_…

_Sighs, kisses, legs around his waist…_

He put it back in the vase, as if afraid the little petals would bewitch him somehow, but he felt like it was too late already.

He absently opened his wardrobe, wondering what he could wear, now that his usual attire was ruined again because of the doomed rain. He looked left, right, unsure, and then his hands fell on something he hadn't wore in a long while…

Just how old was he when he last wore that? He couldn't remember…

He tried it and was amazed it still fit. He knew she would probably gasp and blush; she always did that when he wore anything else than his usual attire. He absently wondered since when did he chose his outfits based on her opinions, but that thought left as quick as it came, as he stared back at the yellow petals with the enticing smell.

…

Rin walked slowly towards the dining room wearing a silver kimono with red heron patterns, revealing a bit of shoulders, and wide around the legs, which allowed free movement, it was very pleasant during hot summer nights. It was the same one she had worn when they had played hide-and-seek, about a month ago. She knew he liked that one, somehow. And it matched perfectly with her sun pendant. She had no powder on her face though…

She crossed the Lady Mother on the way.

"There you are, dear Rin. You are later than usual…", she observed.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know what to wear", she confessed, then she looked at the Lady Mother hopefully. "How do I look?"

The demon woman smirked at her.

"Oh don't look anxious like that. You chose something he likes…", she commented.

Rin blushed. "I will take this as a compliment, then…"

"Let's go then, or you might arrive even after he does", said the Lady Mother with a sideways glance.

Rin just smiled back, knowing she was just teasing her. The doors were opened for them.

Rin just followed the Lady Mother and went to sit next to her. That place would give her a good view of her lord, at least.

Then she almost gasped as she realized he was already there. Sesshomaru-sama? Early? Now that was strange…He wasn't sitting though, he was standing close to the corner of the room, talking to his vassal Kireru…and some other people she didn't know…

"Oh look at this, your clothing is perfectly matched to his…", commented Sasori with amusement.

"Oh Kami, this is so true!", exclaimed Rin.

"If I am not mistaken, last time he wore this outfit, my son was infatuated for the first time", commented the Lady Mother, frowning.

But Rin wasn't listening to her anymore. Her eyes widened a little in awe, taking in all the details: dark red outfit, with a few discreet silver flower patterns on his shoulder, the same as his usual attire, yet the sleeves were narrower. Rin stared at the red fabric, such an unusual colour for him…a little flashy for his usual tastes, the fabric of his sleeve clinging to his bicep a little.

Rin looked away quickly, afraid he would kill her with his godly looks again. Alas, she couldn't control herself and glanced again, and was struck another time, because she caught him staring at her.

They looked at each other a long while. She felt her heart beat faster. He was so far away, yet so close, she wanted to run into his arms, but that wouldn't exactly be appropriate…After some times, she saw him pronounce a "Jaken"…making the toad startle, but she couldn't hear what he said. However, she saw the little servant walk in her direction… She gulped, pretending she hadn't noticed.

"Rin!", Jaken whispered.

She looked at him questioningly.

"The master expects you to be sitting next to him tonight!"

Rin's eyes widened a little. Sasori smirked at her.

"Now now, it looks like I will be the only one spying from the other side of the table tonight", she commented playfully.

Rin nodded shyly and followed Jaken, who brought her at the proper location, first seat next to the one at the far end of the table, on the left side.

He was still talking with his vassal, so Rin saluted the people around her, all men…She didn't know half of them, but she spotted baron Hatsuno in front of her, but it wasn't like she was going to befriend that man anyway, and there was also Tatsumaki not very far, the only other woman at this side of the table …not like she wanted to talk to her either…

She felt like a lamb all over again. All the people at this side were some venerable nobles or warriors. She thought that the Lady Mother's side, even without Nozomi or Tenmaru, was less intimidating. She briefly thought about going back to her old place…

"So it is you who stole my seat", commented a familiar voice in a joking manner.

Rin glanced back and recognized Kireru, she sighed in relief and smiled. She didn't know him that well, but well enough to know it was the kind of person she wanted to be seated next to.

"Sitting with the men, now?", he inquired, as he sat to her left.

"Apparently", she answered shyly.

"Not a surprise", he commented, sipping at his beverage. "_He_ is a little distracted lately", he commented "maybe your presence will help his concentration", he smiled "or maybe it will be the other way around…in any away, I can't way to see…"

"Tenmaru, leave this body at once!", she exclaimed jokingly.

The fox demon just laughed and smiled.

"Forgive me for this jest, Lady Rin. You must know you two are a fascinating topic for the court...", added Kireru with a smile.

"Too fascinating…", added Rin with annoyance.

"Leave it a few months and you will forget about it. Lord Sesshomaru is so used to it he becomes instantly deaf each times he hears his name in a gossipy conversation. I swear he is so immune he must have forgotten gossips even exist…"

Rin smiled and sipped at her drink, not wanting to specify she might very well be gone in a few months from now…If she decided not to stay, that is. She felt her heart skip a beat. Sometimes she even forgotten she had to make that choice eventually. Sesshomaru had been waiting for more than a year…now…

She thought a moment, and realized her choice was so clear already. For the first time since a long while, she had changed her mind…her human existence, becoming so blurry, even though it had been her life for a decade…all of this because of the intense emotions she felt…

Now that she thought of it, it was pretty obvious there was no way she could go back to her human life now…

"There he comes", announced the fox demon.

Then she turned her head swiftly and looked at him as he walked gracefully towards the table, sat down, while saluting the men to his right, and then he saluted the men to his left, keeping her for the end.

She stopped breathing when his eyes met hers. Torturing her with his intent stare a moment, he finally decided to nod, a little deeper than his usual fashion, never breaking eye contact.

"Rin…"

"Sesshomaru-sama…It is good to see you again…", she whispered with a smile.

"Hmph…Likewise, Rin. Welcome to the left side", he said in a low voice, with his piercing gaze.

"Thank you for the invitation, my lord", she said with a shy smile, looking down, glad there was warmness in his eyes again.

"Don't be so thankful", he retorted, more neutral already.

"Why?", she asked with surprise.

"You'll see", he replied absently.

She quickly understood what he meant. Honourable warriors, guards and vassals on this side maybe, but some of them were incredibly pompous, telling some obviously exaggerated tales about their own adventures, loving to hear themselves speak.

Rin found out Baron Hatsuno was one of the worst. Being one of the eldest, and apparently having a fair share of fights in his life, he felt compelled to talk about some stories from centuries ago, when he had killed some horrible beasts, or assisted Inu Taisho killing others.

She wanted to be polite, but their tales were long and didn't interest her, so she just shoved food into her mouth, hoping they would be done soon. She wanted to stare at her lord so bad, but she didn't want anyone to see her, or to look desperate. But after some time, she was unable to control herself and glanced briefly, and almost laughed. He seemed bored out of his mind again, lying on his hand, with an absent gaze.

However, it didn't take him long to take the hint and dart her with a sideways glance. She felt her heart flutter.

She decided she couldn't care less about politeness anymore, and decided to talk to him even though she was supposed to listen to the boring tales…

"Did your travel went to your liking, my lord?", she asked in a whisper.

"Hmph…it was prolific", he replied absently.

She smiled shyly, having no other idea of small talk. He stared, without talking for a while.

"In fact", he started, "We have made some peculiar dis…"

Then a bunch of men laughed loudly and she lost completely what he was saying. He wasn't the loudest speaker after all. She gesticulated a little to make him understand her human ears couldn't deal with so many sounds, which was silly because he could certainly hear her over the crowd, even though she couldn't hear herself …

He looked at the loud people an instant, all busy with their funny epic battle stories, and then he just moved his chair in a slow, smooth fashion, to get closer to her. She took the opportunity to do the same, now both of them at the corner of the table.

"I said…we have made a strange discovery, on our way back", he stated, not any louder than before, but closer to her ear.

Not waiting for her answer, he took something out of a pocket on his chest and showed her the seashell. Her eyes widened in awe, and she leaned a little, to have a close perspective.

"Wow! I've never seen one like that! It's golden…it's beautiful…", she whispered.

"Of course, you would only find this sort close to the sea…", he said, placing it on her palm, and looking away, as if he didn't want his little gift to be noticed. She just smiled sweetly and didn't push the matter further, understanding he didn't want her to make a fuss.

Then she looked a bit sheepish. "I've never been to the sea. It is pretty, right?", she asked, still looking at the present.

He thought about his answer a moment. "It is", he admitted.

"Inu-Yasha says it smells like fish", she commented.

_Inu-Yasha is an imbecile_, he wanted to reply, but he decided that remark would be uncalled-for.

"Salty would be more accurate…"

"Oh…if you have to go to the sea, would you bring me with you, please?", she said with an irresistible flutter of her eyelashes.

"Already supplicating for a new travel?", he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes please, I was so bored for the past few days… I don't want to be left behind all the time! I'll behave this time, I promise!", she begged childishly.

He almost wanted to smile, almost. His eyes betrayed his amusement. She grinned.

Feeling he was in a good mood that night, and now so close to her…and because she suddenly felt very bold and very confident, she used another trick of the fay. She brushed her leg against his. He glanced at her suspiciously, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Have you given some thoughts about what I told you the other day?", he asked suddenly.

She blushed a little.

"Is…is it the right place to talk about this?", she asked in a whisper.

"They have no idea what we are talking about", he replied, a bit quickly. "So…do you have second thoughts?", he asked a bit more directly.

She blinked, and smiled a little, as she realized he seemed a bit impatient to hear her answer.

Feeling bold again, she brushed her leg against his…another time! This time he frowned a little, whispering, so low she had to read on his lips:

"Bad idea…"

"Why?", she replied in the same fashion, with an innocent smile.

"Because…you make me want to chastise you", he answered with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. "Will you answer now?", he wondered a bit more loudly.

"Hum…"

"Speak", he ordered curtly.

She smiled sweetly and opened her mouth…slowly, but before she could reply…

"So what do you think, Lord Sesshomaru?", asked a gruff voice.

Both were startled by the unpleasant interruption, hazel and amber eyes looking in baton Hatsuno's direction, both silent and immobile as if they got caught doing something wrong, Rin's mouth still open with the answer that never had the time to escape from her lips.

They must not have respected socially acceptable boundaries again, because a few stares expressed amusement. Rin noticed. She moved away from him… a little.

"About what?", Sesshomaru finally asked back, clearly annoyed.

"My proposition for a better emergency plan…", specified Hatsuno

"I have no clue what you are talking about…", Sesshomaru replied impassively.

"So you weren't listening?", inquired the vassal.

"No. I wasn't interested", replied the inu demon dryly.

All the other people around the table burst out laughing. The baron looked offended.

"Oh come on Hatsuno, the lord is saying out loud what everyone else thinks", said a guest. "Stop talking about work already!"

"Yeah…if even the lord Sesshomaru can't hear you anymore, maybe it's the time to change the subject!", said another one.

"I'd say whatever Hatsuno or any of you say…the lord will not pay attention tonight", shot back Tatsumaki with a smug look.

Sesshomaru's gaze threw daggers. He glanced back at Rin, who was biting her lip nervously.

"Are you done?", he asked curtly.

She blinked. "W-well, I could be, yes."

"Then let's go. This interruption reminded me of something else", he said as he stood up. He held his hand to help her stand up.

The other guests looked at them surprisingly.

"My lord, already leaving?", inquired the baron.

"Yes, I must talk of important matters with my ward", he stated, matter-of-factly.

"Important matters?"

"Yes. Important matters", insisted the inuyoukai, frowning.

Both the baron and the lord stared at each other, apparently silently communicating some things Rin couldn't comprehend.

And then they could finally excuse themselves and were free to go.

…

Rin swiftly got in, as Sesshomaru opened the door of the study for her. She noticed the dimmed light of the candles, her corrupted mind thinking corrupted things. He closed the door, and locked it. Rin gulped.

He took a step to face her and laid both his hands on the doors, effectively imprisoning her between the door and his presence, staring at her with burning eyes. Then she knew she was in deep trouble. She felt her heart flutter and sweat form in her back.

"Will you tell me now?", he asked in a husky whisper.

"Tell you what?", she said with an innocent smile.

"You know what", he whispered to her ear, knowing it was one of her weakness. She tried to turn her face in his direction.

"Maybe a kiss would help me remember", she whispered, looking down, with a shy smile.

"Hmph…"

He reduced the distance with her lips, stopping when he was a brush away.

Her eyes were closed, waiting, but what she was craving for never came…

"Speak", he ordered again.

So stubborn…She couldn't bear it anymore. She smiled back, shyly. "Your little warnings haven't changed anything. You will have to try much harder if you want to push me away…", she whispered.

His gaze expressed some sort of satisfaction, as he just freed her from his presence, walking toward the table. She was frustrated by the sudden change of mood. This must be his way of punishing her.

"I meant it, when I said I wanted to talk with you.", he said in a collected manner.

"Oh…"

"Sit down…"

She took a seat next to him at the table where the meetings were usually held. She noticed a few papers scattered around. Now she was intrigued.

"As requested by marital rules, Tenmaru was thanked for the next half moon cycle, so he can oblige to his marital duties", explained Sesshomaru, looking a bit smug as he pronounced these words. "That leaves an empty seat on the council."

"What about it?", Rin asked.

"Tenmaru's seat is not just any seat. It is a voting seat. There are only five seats as such on the council: mine, which is a permanent one, and four others: occupied by Tenmaru, Hatsuno, Nozomi and Tatsumaki."

"I didn't know there were votes on your council. I thought you controlled everything…", murmured Rin, with curiosity.

"Almost. Except when a voting member requests for the procedure to occur. That right can only be used on war related issues –and that happens only when a war is officially declared–, or on any other issue regarding the voting member's fief. This procedure is almost never used, last time was about ten years ago…"

"So I suppose people only use it wisely", Rin whispered, trying to concentrate.

"Yes. In any way, this procedure is very close to futile, since Tenmaru and Kireru, or now Nozomi, always give their immediate support to any of my positions, while Tatsumaki and Hatsuno tend to team up on certain issues, but their attempts are mostly pointless, since a majority of votes is requested for a proposition to pass…or half, if there is an even number of voters…"

"So…you are worried because Tenmaru is gone?"

"I usually wouldn't replace someone who miss for such a short time, but I heard the baron may try to use the procedure very soon, on a issue we have a disagreement on. He was waiting impatiently for Tenmaru's departure…thinking I wouldn't find a substitute…", Sesshomaru explained, frowning.

"Did you find someone?", asked Rin with curiosity.

"Yes", he said, glancing at her. "I was thinking of you", he announced, examining her reaction.

Rin's eyes widened. "Me? How am I supposed to be competent at such a task?"

"It is quite simple. You don't even need to talk…If anyone requests to hold a ballot, you just vote for the same position as I do."

"What if I get it wrong?"

"You can't. Votes are public. You wait to see what I vote for", he replied, matter-of-factly.

Rin blinked. "Well…it does look simple…O-Okay…"

Now it was Sesshomaru's turn to blink "Okay?", he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay I'll do it. You want me to sign this thing, now?", she asked, seeing the paper in front of him, noticing Tenmaru's signature was already on it.

"Don't you have questions, concerns?", he insisted, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…since you always shrug off the fact that I am just a human…No!", she replied with an amused smile, trying to take the paper, but he took it before her.

"You may not have to listen at our doors anymore, but it comes at a price. You will have to answer to Tenmaru's correspondence. You will have to assist to every meeting, which can last hours…or days. Your assistance may be required for different missions…"

"But you will help me, right?", she asked, blinking innocently.

"Of course."

"Then…what is the problem?", she asked impatiently, trying to snatch the paper from his fingers. "I want to go on missions! I want to get out of here once in a while!", she protested.

He looked at her with a smug look. "It is a game to you, is it?", he asked.

She blushed and then grinned. "Oh I must admit I do find this exciting. I wanted to assist to these things since the day you introduced me to your council…But you've let me only once and it was so short!"

He frowned, looking a little surprised. "Why haven't you told me?"

"I was sure you were going to say no", she answered with a pout.

"Why?", he asked, raising an annoyed eyebrow.

"I dunno…", she said childishly. "I'm just your ward, or I'm just mortal, something like that…"

"You know most official positions at court are actually species neutral", he informed her.

She blinked. "Like…human allowed, species neutral?"

"Yes…my father's doing", he felt compelled to explain.

She blinked more. "But there are only demons around here…"

"Yes… But it doesn't mean there can't be an exception…", he whispered close to her ear.

She tried not to shiver. "Can I sign the paper already?"

He gave it to her, and watched her sign it. As she looked at his face after he took it back and placed it quickly in an envelope, to put a seal on it...she thought something in his eyes and the haste at which he did all of this might have betrayed a bit of…glee?

"You look excited", she stated.

He glanced back at her, raising an annoyed eyebrow. "You should be yourself…"

"Of course I am, my lord. A lot! But, still, it's only for two weeks, you're not putting a crown on my head or anything…", she replied in a joking manner.

He frowned. "You should take it seriously. I am testing you, Rin…"

She blinked and felt her heart skip a beat. "What for?"

Then she noticed he had put away all the paper works. He stared back at her, with some glow in his amber gaze, but it might be because of the candlelight. He took her hand to force her to follow him, bringing her into the inner court…stars, moon and a few torches as only source of light.

"I have been thinking a lot lately. I think that…_ward_…is not a title that does you justice anymore", he said in a low voice.

Rin's eyes widened. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"You are bored as a simple ward, yet your mind has potential. I want to find out what may fit you best", he admitted, in all seriousness.

Rin stopped breathing a moment. He got closer to her, lips close to her ear. He caressed her hair, ever so lightly. She sighed in bliss, waiting, craving for more...

"You start tomorrow morning. Be prepared. You are at a crossroads and this may be the first step towards your forthcoming life…", he whispered.

Rin gasped, feeling bolts and febricity, yet he hadn't even touched her yet, his words making her melt as if she had read something from her book. She wasn't sure what he meant, but the half spoken promises were making her blush furiously and her mind run wild. She laid her back against the wall of stone, absently trying to cool off, while looking at him with fire in her eyes.

Knowing neither he, nor she, could wait any longer, he broke the space left between them and placed a hot kiss on her mouth, locking lips with hers. Her hands slid at the back of his head, entangled in his silver hair, pulling him closer, opening her mouth with desperation, an opportunity he didn't refuse, finally giving her the thrills she had been craving for. He took both of her thighs and lifted them, holding her against the wall. She had to break the kiss, with a gasp of surprise because of the bold gesture…then she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and embraced him. He sighed slightly in relief, his hands sliding up her back, to hold her protectively, and ravished her neck, ready to leave her marks everywhere. She sighed softly, absent-mindedly watching the moon with eyes wide open.

…End of chapter…

A/N: Ohhh yeah yeah I hear you already: why did you stop when it was getting hot?! Muahahahah…sorry…this chapter wasn't the place for another lemony scene -_-

Stay tuned, there will be a little less conversations and reflection next chapter, and a bit of action ;)

A few notes, that you can take as food for thoughts…

When the Lady Mother says her son would think she behaves "like a hare who heard the sound of a fruit fall", this is inspired by a Buddhist story "The Sound the Hare Heard (Jat 322)"…a complicated way to say Sesshomaru would think she is paranoid. I fell randomly on that reference of that tale on Wikipedia and thought I should plug it somewhere…

Amane really is supposed to mean in the sound of rain in Japanese, or at least, this is what I found on some random Japanese name repertory online.

Of course, the Camellia flowers Rin gives to Sesshomaru is not completely a random choice, that flower has a few meanings, including longing. Apparently, most kinds have no scent at all.


	12. Trust

A/N : Many thanks again to everyone who reviewed/favourited this story. Feedback is my treat, and I feel like I'm being spoiled these days, please keep going :) Answers to anonymous reviews can be found at the end of this chapter.

Yup, I stole a famous sentence of George RR Martin in this one. A cookie to whoever finds it!

Chapter 12 : Trust

Rin walked quickly in the wide corridors, skirts flying gracefully around her, not caring about the okobos or the make up she had on anymore, her only priority was to look proper, and hide her nervousness! She tied her hair, in an attempt to give herself some serious look. How would it look if a voting councillor walked around with flowers in her locks, walking barefoot as she liked to do in her spare time? She even put magenta lines on her eyelids; in a desperate attempt to look a bit more…intimidating…She had no idea if it was going to work, though…

She didn't have to push the door of the study open, as the guard did it for her, bowing lowly as she got in. She had to refrain a gasp as she noticed she was one of the last to get inside. And she thought she was early!

She walked past the Lady Mother, who was already sitting at the long table were all the discussions were held, her lemony eyes glancing up.

"Hmph…. I suppose you should sit at the other end of the table", she said quietly, with a sly smile.

Rin nodded with a smile, trying to ignore some hostile stares coming from a side of the table. She felt like the baron Hatsuno and the wind warrior Tatsumaki really despised her, but she supposed it had to be expected, considering why she was asked to attend.

"You should pay attention today. This is not an informal meeting like you attended to before about the wedding or after you were back from the eastern borders. This is an official reunion, like the one you gracefully interrupted on your first days here…", explained the Lady Mother, matter-of-factly.

"What's the difference?", inquired Rin, raising an eyebrow.

"These can last for days…and it's not just about your master barking orders around. There can be some heated debates", the Lady Mother informed her with a gleam of mischief.

Rin gulped, not sharing the Lady Mother's enthusiasm about the prospect of staying days in the same room, debating of things she knew nothing about. She did have some needs, like eating, and sleeping…

"Well I hope I can meet your expectations this time, Sasori-sama", Rin said, frowning.

"Oh, but I don't have any. The expectations are behind you, little Rin", the demon woman replied with a smirk.

Rin startled, and stared over her shoulder, to glance at a pair of familiar amber eyes, Sesshomaru staring with soundless impassiveness.

"My lord…you are such a silent walker!", she exclaimed with embarrassment. He always surprised her like that. ALWAYS.

"…Come with me. There are a few things I must say to you before we start", he stated aloofly.

Rin nodded and bowed at his mother, before following him, nodding at Nozomi and Kireru, who had stood up as they passed by. Rin strategically ignored the others. As expected…she sat next to him, at the far end of the table, in front of Jaken.

The youkai lord looked briefly at her, noticing her agitation.

"Were you conspiring with my mother, just then? ", he asked with an icy mask.

"N-no, not at all. We were just talking!", she replied defensively.

"Hmph…As you say…", he replied nonchalantly. "You are not allowed to speak before your status as substitute is announced and confirmed. After, you are free to comment as you please, but I advise that you to use that right wisely…", he informed, than darted a sideways glance. "Though…as I said yesterday, you can be silent as well. You don't have to speak unless you feel confident enough…"

…She was quite sure the last part was triggered by the fact she couldn't stop playing with her quill in nervousness. She tried to smile reassuringly.

"One last thing", he said, in a low voice. She blinked and leaned over, intrigued at the change of tone.

"…I broke two glasses and an armchair when I held my first meeting…"

She gasped. "No way!"

"Yes I did. You can't possibly do worse than I did", he said, with smiling eyes.

She giggled, feeling a little less worried already.

Then he looked in front of him, and she resumed at her seriousness, looking at her hands.

"I, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, on this fifth day of the Month of Books, hereby announce the beginning of the hundredth official reunion of the council of strategic affairs", he announced solemnly.

Everyone nodded.

"I shall interrupt the usual schedule with a request from Tenmaru, regarding his substitution during his leave…"

"Great…", muttered the red eye woman, glancing at her neighbour.

"I have signed a decree appointing Rin as Warden of the Northern Frontiers. Although Tenmaru has a castellan for trivial security issues, she shall take responsibility for his obligations as advisor and will represent the Northern borders' interests during his absence."

Rin felt all the blood leave her face. Warden of the Northern Frontiers?! Now that sounded important! How the hell was she supposed to represent the northern borders' interests, when she had never set a foot there? What did she know about them, aside from the fact Tenmaru and Kishiko lived there, and that they were a bunch of polygamists dog demons?!

That function sounded much more important than what Sesshomaru made it seem like the day before…Maybe she should have read the terms after all…

Tatsumaki frowned, apparently fuming.

"What did you do to get your pretty seat, human?", she asked furiously.

"She did solve the Kizuisen puzzle, Tatsumaki", retorted Sesshomaru with annoyance. "What did you do, during these debates, except talking of beheading them all?"

"That was beginner's luck", the woman protested.

"I heard she was very helpful during the negotiations with them", the Lady Mother added.

"And we still haven't heard the details of that famous tale", Tatsumaki retorted.

Rin gulped, not wanting to reveal the racy details of that story…

"I must say, even though we have no say on this matter... that I am not even sure this is by the rules. Inu Taisho never meant for this to happen…", commented Hatsuno.

"How do you know?", asked Sesshomaru, frowning.

"He did the changes to the rules, so hanyous could attend, not humans…", the baron explained.

"You err Hatsuno. My late husband may have been thinking of hanyous when he changed the rules, but he kept the new formulations broad to allow humans as well", added the lady Mother.

"If I may be so bold, you didn't even attend to these meetings…", he retorted.

The Lady Mother raised an eyebrow. "And you think I know nothing of my consort's intentions?"

"I can only confirm Lady Sasori's explanations. In fact…Hatsuno, I can't believe you forgot what were Inu Taisho's explicit opinions during these changes", retorted Kireru, frowning. "I believe he was even questioning the notion of demon lands…"

"No need to remind us of the most insane parts of that era, Kireru", the Lady Mother retorted.

"Enough with your pointless twaddle. If I hear other protestations on this nomination, the dissident is free to come to me and solve this the old way", Sesshomaru threatened with very clear annoyance.

Everyone stopped talking. Rin wondered what was the _old way_… She supposed it must imply violence.

"Now if we may finally start. I expect reports regarding inspection and security of the lands. If you have any urgent tale to tell about, speak freely", the demon lord ordered icily.

"I will have to start, my lord", answered Nozomi, looking down. "You've requested me to find out if the North was taken. I can only say…it seems so."

A long silence ensued, some people looking at each other with dark looks. Only the Lady Mother and Sesshomaru remained impassive.

"What makes you think so, Nozomi?", he asked.

"Lord Hikaru's forces were nowhere to be seen. I have observed blue troops as well… hordes of the Central Lands…some were securing the borders… I saw others march towards the northern part of our lands". She gulped. "They are still far, and not moving very quickly because they are numerous, but if they keep going in the same direction, they might be on us before Tenmaru's return. Maybe in two weeks, or even before…"

"Hmmm…That may require moving troops to the North", Sesshomaru thought out loud. He looked displeased.

"Oh no worries now, we can send our new warden to lead the army", suggested Tatsumaki with sarcasm. Sesshomaru glared.

"Tatsumaki, I do not have patience for your pointless remarks today. If you disrespect Rin again, I will personally solve soothe your temper the old way as well", Sesshomaru retorted with visible irritation.

Red eyes blinked. "...Oo-okay…", the wind demon said, looking a little taken aback by his sudden outburst. Rin thought she saw her murmur to her neighbour something in the lines of "_he works himself up early today"_…

"How many fighters can we expect to march on our lands?", Sesshomaru asked the kitsune.

"Two hundreds, no armours. Those marching towards us weren't of the Heartlands' official army…"natives tribes" again. No stony snakes.", Nozomi added.

"Who will you send, Sesshomaru?", asked the Lady Mother. "It should have been Tenmaru's responsibility, maybe we can write to him…"

"No. I shall go myself with a few warriors", Sesshomaru said with a frown. "Do we have other good news?", he asked grumpily.

"Nothing to declare for the eastern parts. Nothing on my fief, Katashi and Kachikimaru are behaving as well. Everyone is warned and ready for whatever apocalypse may happen", added Tatsumaki quickly, wanting to get rid of this as quickly as possible.

"No other snakes lingering?", insisted Sesshomaru, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"None. The last one I killed was three days before the wedding. They seem to remember where they are supposed to live, all of a sudden", Tatsumaki commented with a smirk.

"Maybe Sesshomaru's courteous conversations with Lady Amane were more fruitful than it seemed", commented the Lady Mother out loud.

_Courteous_…Sesshomaru wanted to laugh.

"I am afraid I do not share your optimism, mother", he retorted, then he glanced at the baron.

"I-I have nothing serious to announce, my lord. Although…there have been an abnormal number of travellers from the sea, humans and demons and _in betweens_ alike…They were peaceful, but their intrusions are still a bother…we are not used to so many…_beings_ of the sort…"

"When did that start?", inquired Sesshomaru.

"Three days ago", the vassal replied. "I believe they all come from the Kon'Ketsu Islands. I know we aren't supposed to intervene directly when civilians are just marching on our lands but…they are bothering my subjects, my lord…"

"Your tales are interesting Hatsuno. The master and I have seen leftovers from a sea merchant's goods scattered on one of the main path very close to the southern borders. The merchants must be from Kon'Ketsu then?", wondered Kireru out loud.

"This is so odd… These gipsies always used the sea to get to human lands before…", commented the Lady Mother.

"Hmph…", was Sesshomaru's only reply. His mother glanced at him.

"Do we have reports from Kon'Ketsu?", she asked.

"None for almost a moon cycle", he answered, frowning.

"We stopped receiving reports from the East once it got conquered by the Heartlands too", she commented.

"We have no confirmation of the East's demise yet", he retorted with annoyance. "Hatsuno. You have no idea as to why they started marching on the Western Coast?"

"I prefer not to rely on what human or half breed merchants say, my lord, they are always exaggerating and contradicting themselves", he said carefully.

"What were those exaggerations?", Sesshomaru insisted.

"I was told some complained about the islands are being plundered on a regular basis. Others complained the southern sea is closed…"

"Human seas closed? Impossible! We would have noticed!", replied Nozomi with a frown.

"I do not know for sure. These are mere anecdotes, but I received many reports of complaints since they started marching. We cannot simply let them use our lands like a highway to human territories", protested Hatsuno.

"Killing them would be pointless, and might provoke uproars from humans again", retorted Sesshomaru.

The vassal looked taken aback. "Since when should we care what the mortals thinks?"

"Oh don't be so closed minded, Hatsuno. You know we're surrounded by the Heartlands now, we would be very lonely if we started taunting humans now…", protested Kireru.

"Nozomi", started Sesshomaru. "On your way back, did you march along the Western Coast?"

She blinked. "Yes. Why?"

"Have you noticed signs of any fleet going south?"

"W-well I haven't noticed anything…but I didn't bother looking, my lord, since my mission was complete…"

"My lord", interrupted Hatsuno. "We should expect dire news from Kun'Ketsu. I know the safety of our coast was never a very big concern, but it may be time to tighten security…"

"What are you thinking about, Hatsuno?", the lord asked.

"Well, I believe we should firstly plan land troops to repel anyone marching on the coast…"

"Hmph...Your other idea?"

"We…we should get a fleet, my lord", the vassal said.

"A fleet? Wouldn't that be a waste of coins, based only on a few half breed's tales?", asked Sesshomaru with scepticism.

"Do you really think Kun'Ketsu will stay neutral for long, my lord?", Hatsuno asked, frowning.

"Maybe we should find out before doing impulsive moves, Hatsuno", retorted the lord, frowning back to the vassal.

"If I may be so bold, I would like to hold a ballot", replied Hatsuno neutrally.

"A ballot? Why for?", asked Nozomi with surprise.

"First ballot should be on the complete closure of the Western coast to foreign trespassing. Presence of intruders, including humans and possible spies on our lands is too risky", Hatsuno explained.

Jaken cleared his throat. "The poll is casted upon voting members. "

"Pro. I agree with the spy part. Humans and half breeds are easily corruptible, it would be a poor move to let them wander around", said Tatsumaki.

"Con. That would be spillage of resources based on speculations", said Sesshomaru with nonchalance.

"Con. We foxes do not want trouble with neighbouring humans. Kon'Ketsu islanders are useful to them and do not bother us", said Nozomi.

Rin blushed as she realized it was her turn to say something.

"Hum, con…", she said hesitantly.

"What, no justification?", asked Tatsumaki, trying to hide her smirk.

Rin frowned, trying to process a coherent answer. "Well…based on Nozomi's worrying report about the troops to the North, I can only assume the energies should be put there, instead of chasing seashell merchants…", she replied boldly.

She saw the Lady Mother smirk from the other side of the table, but didn't dare a glance back at her lord.

"Ahem, Hatsuno's motion is repelled then", announced Jaken.

"I have another request for a poll", said Hatsuno with a frown.

Sesshomaru glanced at him defiantly.

"This request concerns not only my fief, but other's as well. I request new aid from the main domain, regarding the border's safety. Dire times request enough resources for emergency plans and reactions on our end."

"Requests should only concern your fief, Hatsuno", reminded Sesshomaru.

"I shall do it for my own then, and Tatsumaki will do it for hers after", he replied.

"Yeah, let's say I'll do that", the demoness said with sarcasm.

"Show a little conviction!", the baron exclaimed.

"No. Your attempts are pointless because of…", but Tatsumaki didn't finish her sentence and glanced at Rin's direction.

Rin assumed she would have finished it with something related to her being a pawn, but it still felt pleasant to know the red-eyed vassal couldn't openly insult her because of her Sesshomaru's threats. She refrained a smile. It was enjoyable to be respected…

"So the vote is first requested by baron Hatsuno, asking for more men to secure his lands, on the basis all the vassals should do the same?", inquired Jaken.

"Yes.", insisted Hatsuno.

"Well…yeah…pro. Sometimes it is tricky to react quickly enough with the quantity of warriors we have…", Tatsumaki said with a pout.

"Con. Considering we aren't officially at war yet, this request is premature. Besides, you almost always have the mainland's support when you are under attack. Third, you pretend all vassals should get access to more resources, yet you know nothing of the situations of others…", retorted Sesshomaru sternly.

"This need is judged necessary by two of us", defended Hatsuno.

Rin frowned: she had no way to know if their request was justified or not. She glanced at Nozomi, who looked hesitant a little, but Kireru said something to her ear.

"Con. Based on our own experience, we have no need of permanent interventions coming from Lord Sesshomaru's resources at the moment. Sporadic help is enough", the kitsune said.

"We don't have Tenmaru's views on this. The human ward's vote shouldn't count", retorted Hatsuno.

"So you think Tenmaru would vote for your motion, Hatsuno?", asked Sesshomaru, passive-aggressively.

"Considering the situation of his lands at the moment, maybe he would", the vassal mused.

"Even if I already agreed to an intervention to the North led by myself?", inquired the inuyoukai icily.

"We do not know, he is not here!", exclaimed Hatsuno.

"If he were so adamant about having more resources on a permanent basis, would he have been the one to warn me there would be people scheming with plans of votes, to snatch my personal guards, while he is away?", asked Sesshomaru defiantly.

Hatsuno and Tatsumaki frowned.

"You say Tenmaru knew this motion was coming?", asked Hatsuno.

"He knows who is the leader and he knows staying in my good graces is the wisest thing to do during uncertain times. He is aware our resources could be depleted on very short notices as well. I also find irritating that you call into question Rin's judgement, even though she already answered you fairly on the first ballot: the northern borders' situation is alarming and should be the priority. I share the view Tenmaru would not agree to an unconditional right to supplemental troops for everyone, when his own territory is clearly the one who needs the resources you want to take for yourself", retorted Sesshomaru imperiously.

Hatsuno opened his mouth and shut it back, apparently giving up. Sesshomaru's flawless arguing stunned Rin as well: refuting the questioning on her judgement and Hatsuno's arguments all at once.

And she was also a little shocked by the length of his answer!

"Rin…your vote", reminded Jaken.

"Hum…con…for…well, Lord Sesshomaru said it all, dispersion may not be the best plan at the moment…", she said shyly.

"Motion denied", announced Jaken.

"Are you done with your attempts at democracy and other idiocies, Hatsuno?", asked Sesshomaru, raising a daring eyebrow.

"Yes my lord…", he said with frustration.

"Anyone else has delighting ideas for votes?", the youkai lord asked with annoyance, with a threatening sideways glance at Tatsumaki.

"Don't look at me!", she exclaimed defensively.

"Good. Now back to serious topics. Is there anyone else aware of relevant information regarding the situation of the Kon'Ketsu Islands?", Sesshomaru asked.

There was no answer. Rin frowned, wondering what Sesshomaru was thinking about.

"You are all dismissed until noon", he stated blankly.

Everyone…well almost, stood up and left the room in a hubbub. Rin saw Sesshomaru stand up, walk slowly towards the balcony door and slam them open, apparently eager for something outside, but she was unsure if it was just air…or a prey to kill. Rin thought it would be wise to leave him alone. She smiled at Jaken, still there, scribbling on a parchment.

"Master Jaken, why does Sesshomaru look so angry?", she asked in a whisper.

"Clearly because of his vassals' arrogance! They questioned all of Lord Sesshomaru's views, and forced him to waste his breath…I dare not approach him… I'm afraid I may not survive to what his seething mind may be inclined to do at the moment ", the toad observed, worriedly.

"Why are they doing that? They're worried because of the Central Lands?"

"Obviously! I don't remember the Western Lands being in such a precarious situation since I started my service for the lord…I swear all these conflicts will shorten my life even more…I can't believe I looked forward to this a while ago", he complained with a sigh.

Rin frowned. Of course, that must be why Sesshomaru asked her to be there. He knew the implications of the votes were important today. She hoped everything would end up fine. Then she stretched, stood up and walked towards the balcony carefully, she wanted to leave Sesshomaru alone, but she also wanted to know if she had mail from Kagome or Inu-Yasha. They hadn't answered yet; she hoped nothing bad had happened. However, as soon as she opened the doors, she was stopped by the Lady Mother, already standing outside. She made her usual icy smile, when she saw her get out.

"So…how does it feel to be even more powerful than the Lady of the Western Lands?", she asked with a smirk.

Rin's eyes widened. "Aren't you exaggerating a little, Sasori-sama?"

"I have no voting right", she said with a smug look.

A blush crept over Rin's cheeks. "Hmm… But I thought these votes were rare…"

"Indeed… I was just teasing you, little Rin…I think you have done well", she commented, earnestly.

"You think so?", Rin asked, looking embarrassed.

"Of course, you haven't said much, but just enough to justify Sesshomaru's choice…using the bits of information you just heard at your advantage. I am sure he is pleased as well…"

Rin smiled. "Well I'm glad if I can be of use! Now I just have to go…"

"Don't go far, little Rin", warned Sasori. "Because I am in a good mood, I will tell you a precious tip…"

Rin raised her eyebrows, intrigued.

"Never go far, during the breaks. This is always during the breaks that he makes the important decisions…", she whispered playfully.

"Oh…really? All by himself?", inquired Rin.

"Only with those that matter the most. Stay close and you will see…", she said in a low voice.

Then they stopped talking just in time to see Sesshomaru walk back in their direction, deep in thoughts. He only noticed them when climbing the stairs, thoughtful frown turning into suspicion as he saw them both, smiling at him.

"Conspiring again?", he asked.

"What? What are you talking about, Sesshomaru?", the Lady Mother asked innocently.

"Hmph…Never mind…", he retorted with annoyance.

"Oh your accusations deeply trouble me, will you just stop assuming I am always up to something!?", she asked dramatically.

He didn't answer and glanced at Rin, features softening a little.

"You have mail", he announced, and then frowned doubtfully. "With little hearts on it…"

"Oh let me see, let me see!", she said excitedly.

Rin snatched the letter from his hands and opened it eagerly, noticing two pieces of paper, Sesshomaru only raising an eyebrow at her excitement, before going back inside.

_Dear Rin,_

_Thank you so much for letting us know what was going to happen! There was indeed _

_a horde of lizards marching towards us. Inu-Yasha spoke with neighbouring villages and _

_we succeeded chasing them away before they could reach us. No casualties! _

_What is going on, Rin? There have been a few attacks lately… maybe Sesshomaru knows _

_something. Could you ask him for me, please?_

_I'm glad you write so often. We never have the time to get worried. Sota and Iza are looking_

_forward to see you. I think Miroku and Sango miss you too, with the bunch of kids they have! _

_They miss their favourite babysitter, and often ask about you…_

_Also, you haven't told me anything about the wedding, was it fun? How is it going with_

_Sesshomaru? _

_Take care!_

_Xx Kagome xX_

_Ps: don't worry with Inu-Yasha's warnings. I haven't told him much, but he always arrives _

_to the worst conclusions…_

Then Rin looked at the other letter…

_Rin,_

_Thank the bastard for me. For once, he was useful. _

_Don't mess around. We want you back in one piece next fall. _

_And stay away from him! Kagome says weird stuff. _

_I think he's up to no good._

_Inu_

Rin smiled, amused by Inu Yasha's gruff note. She was relieved everyone was okay. She folded the letters, hid them in her obi and got back inside.

"My lord, Inu-Yasha and Kagome send their words of thanks, about the warning we gave them", said Rin with a smile, but she quickly noticed he wasn't listening at all.

She saw him look at something on the table, talking quietly with Jaken, with the Lady Mother not very far. She approached them.

A huge map was unfolded on the table, showing territories, with their borders, and the sea around it.

Rin frowned, noticing how the Western Lands…weren't so big after all. Compared to the Heartlands or the Northern Lands…only the Eastern Lands were smaller! The Western lands were triangle shaped… she didn't imagine it would be that way. They were narrow shaped, especially towards the north, with a parcel of land looking larger towards the south. But it was by far the lands that had the biggest access to the sea. And now that all the rest was apparently conquered by the Heartlands, Rin could only frown…Lord Sesshomaru's lands looking pretty small next to Lady Amane's…

"Son…why are you so obsessed with the Kun'Ketsu Islands? If you don't want to bother with a half-breed bloodbath, just impose them a tax for permission to walk on our lands. They'll be so outraged they'll just find another route, they're merchants after all!", the Lady Mother exclaimed.

"Hmph… These islands always stay neutral during conflicts. Why would someone bother attacking them?", his son thought out loud.

"I tell you, there is nothing interesting there. You should focus on the North's situation instead", she argued.

"These islands may be fighting with the Heartlands as we speak…", Sesshomaru thought out loud again, ignoring his mother.

"Who cares? This is not our problem", she argued. "I say…they are just be bothered by a bunch of pirates. Why would Lady Amane trouble herself with these remote islands, when she already have access to the sea by the North, and possibly the East?"

"Maybe there is something there that she can't find elsewhere…", supposed Jaken.

"What could possibly be so precious on these lost islands, little toad? I just don't see it!", she protested.

And then, Jaken and the Lady Mother continued debating, but Rin noticed Sesshomaru wasn't paying attention anymore, frowning at the map. Rin approached them, and stood next to him. She looked at the map closely too.

"I didn't know such a big part of the Western Lands are connected to the sea…Is this why you are so concerned, my lord?", Rin asked with curiosity.

He glanced at her with sudden interest. "We have a vast access to the sea, and yet we have no fleet…", he commented.

"Why is that?", she asked.

"Boats are a human invention. Demons haven't used them very much, until the East started letting mortals live on their lands. Humans then requested for ports and boats…for commerce. Shortly after granting them these rights, the Lords of the East noticed it was in fact, a useful asset, and started using boats for war purposes. The North followed shortly after, because they got attacked by boats from the East many times in the past…", he explained. "And now…all these lands might very well belong all to the same…empire…leaving only the West without a fleet…this is a nuisance…"

"So you are afraid the Heartlands may attack by the sea? Wouldn't it be easier for them to just…cross the eastern frontiers of your lands? It is a neighbouring territory after all…", replied Rin, blinking with curiosity.

"Our lands are well watched. The sea though…It is clearly our weakest link at the moment…especially now that the Heartlands own the Northern Territories…"

"But the Heartlands could already take their boats from the north and go down, right?", asked Rin. "I don't think I heard anyone say they have done that yet…"

"No, they haven't, we aren't at war yet…but there is also the fact that crossing the western sea is not so simple. Some of the Kun'Ketsu islands are close to the Northern Lands…which means, if Amane wants to bring boats from the North towards the South West, with the intention to attack us… she needs permission from the Islanders to sail on their seas. But you see, Kun'Ketsu is mostly inhabited by half breeds…They _hate_ demons from the lands… And you know what is Amane's opinion about humans and hanyous. Now that she owns the North, I am sure she would rather have them out of the way…"

"But…I mean…if these Islands fight against Lady Amane…that makes them allies, even though they are hanyous. What are you going to do, Sesshomaru-sama?", Rin asked, full of curiosity.

"Baron Hatsuno is right on one thing: having no fleet has become hazardous. But we have no idea how to operate them…We cannot simply purchase these things and use them wisely…", he replied, then darted a sideways glance at her. "However, the Kon'Ketsu Islands apparently possess quite a fleet…"

"Oh!", Rin exclaimed, suddenly understanding where all of this was going...

"If these neutral Islands with a strong fleet were truly under attack… what do you think would be the smartest move for me?", he asked, glancing at her with curiosity.

"You seriously want to make them your allies? Even though they are hanyous?", Rin replied surprisingly. She honestly didn't think he would want that…

"I do not feel like I have a choice", he replied with frown.

"This is not a choice, my son, this is a waste of time!", protested the Lady Mother, icily.

"Why?", he asked, raising an annoyed eyebrow.

"You think you are such a genius? Inu Taisho tried this before and he failed. The pirate she-wolf leading this place is a wild dirty-blooded beast…"

"You are talking about the negotiations he tried to make during the feline invasion?", he asked, half smirking.

"Exactly! He came in peace on their islands in hopes to make a pact, and he came back with nothing, except a terrible headache and a very bad mood! This so called Lady Miyah made his stay a living hell! And as you know, Inu Taisho was a great talker, with a lot of charisma…"

"You think I cannot do it?", he asked, a little vexed.

"You do not have your father's charm, my son. Unless you have very strong arguments for this she-wolf half-breed, your efforts will be in vain…", she said, clearly annoyed. "Why would you want to make a pact with hanyous anyway?"

"To protect the coast…and give Lady Amane an enlightening lesson", he retorted, frowning.

"Your pride gets on the way again…Why do you want to provoke her so much? Must I remind you we aren't at war with the Heartlands yet? ", she replied.

"It won't take long…", he muttered.

"Are there things you do not say, son?"

And then the doors opened, letting the other vassals get in.

"What's going on? Lord Sesshomaru taking decisions during the break again?", wondered Kireru, with a knowing look.

"Let's resume", the youkai lord, announced. "We need to discuss details about an upcoming mission…"

They all sat down, intrigued.

"Hatsuno…Where is the landing point of the islanders?", asked Sesshomaru.

"Somewhere on the sunset peninsula. Why? You intend to visit the half breeds?", he asked.

"My lord, if I may be so bold…I know the potential of an alliance with the Kun'Ketsu Islands is tempting, but Inu Taisho failed miserably when he tried this the last time", commented Kireru. "I was there, Lady Miyah does not negotiate with demons…"

"She is in poor situation to be closed-minded. The time is ripe for another try", Sesshomaru announced. "Jaken, send a letter. Inform them of our arrival in the short term…Kireru, you met their leader already, you will come as well…"

The fox demon frowned, looking unhappy, but his expression changed quickly. "Understood, my lord."

"Tatsumaki…", said Sesshomaru.

"Wh-what?! Why me?", she protested. "I'm not buddy-buddy with humans and half breeds like Kireru!"

"I don't want you to talk, I want you to fight if we meet enemies…", he explained stoically.

"Oh…okay, I can do that…I've been craving for some blood lately", she said with a smirk.

"I am glad we are on the same page this time", Sesshomaru said, slightly annoyed. Then he glanced at his ward.

"Rin…"

"Oh I can come too!?", she asked with a grin, unable to control her enthusiasm.

"I think a human presence will certainly lower their suspicions", he explained, matter-of-factly.

"Oh great! Thank you Sesshomaru-sama!", she said, thrilled.

"We need to prepare right away, so we can be back before the troops to the north get too close", Sesshomaru announced. "You are all dismissed",

…

Rin hummed to herself, while listening to the pleasant song of the waves crashing against the boat, the calm, yet powerful sound of the water was something to be impressed by, when you heard it for the first time…there was something mesmerizing about the sound…

She stared at the moon with a smile and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the sea, while walking on the deck. It was so soothing! She was just a little disappointed she hadn't glanced at the beach under a clear sky; Kagome had told her the water would have been a clear blue, but instead, it had been a bland grey…

She felt bad for her companions that didn't enjoy their travel so much. She found out, only a short moment after leaving the land, that both Kireru and Tatsumaki were terribly seasick, either complaining and mumbling against "this unnatural means of transportation"…breathing heavily and running for the closest access to the sea to throw up. So Rin had spent the first hour trying to find a way to help them…but they seemed hopeless cases.

By the time she gave up trying to find some miraculous way to relieve them of their misery, she realized Sesshomaru was gone, hidden somewhere he wouldn't be found. She was slightly annoyed, because he had been busy discussing strategic approaches with Kireru on their way up the coast, and Tatsumaki was not very talkative with "filthy humans"…Their travel to the sea may only have taken about two days, it was still way too long for her likings…

And worse than everything else: all this travelling with two vassals she didn't know that well prevented her to spend time with Sesshomaru. Of course, both Kireru and Tatsumaki had made some allusions in the past, but Rin had no idea who much they knew about their _involvement_…so she opted for a careful approach. She only exchanged banalities with her lord and barely glanced at him on the way to the sea. She had no idea if their involvement was supposed to be secret or not, but she assumed from the fact that he hadn't come to her that she was right to be discreet about it.

The good side of Kireru and Tatsumaki being seasick was that they wouldn't notice if she approached her lord with controversial intentions… Rin blushed, she had discovered to her detriment that only two days without any closeness was hard to bear…especially with this brief episode of them fooling around, that had occurred the eve of her first meeting…in the inner courtyard…

Rin sighed, annoyed with the loneliness, as she searched for Sesshomaru. She assumed she should try the miraculous tip from her childhood once again…But before she could shout so unceremoniously his name, she found him almost magically, sitting on the ground, back resting against a mast, gazing at the horizon. She frowned, she was sure she had come across that spot before, but she hadn't seen him. She smiled.

"There you are!"

He glanced at her absently.

"You are done trying to cure the others?", he asked with mild interest.

"Yes…I wasted my time…", she said with a frown. "I mean…I don't get it. You demons are supposed to be strong, and powerful and all…why do they get sick like that?"

"Hmph…We are not used to boats", he commented absently, glancing back at the horizon.

"But it's just a few waves!", she exclaimed playfully.

"…I suppose some of us are more sensitive to these things", he observed, slightly frowning.

"Maybe so…", Rin looked at him worriedly. "I hope you aren't sick too, Sesshomaru-sama?"

He looked slightly annoyed. "Do I look sick?"

"Well…no…but I suppose you could have some brilliant way to hide it…", she supposed thoughtfully.

"Hmph... No… I never get sick", he felt compelled to specify.

"Oh…good", she said with a smile.

She walked towards the ramp to glance at the clear night sky. Then she looked down at the waves, and stretched a little to look at them crash against the hull. She felt a pair of hand hold her waist.

"Don't do that", Sesshomaru said with a low voice.

"Why? The ramps are safe…", Rin answered with a pout.

"They are narrow, you could still fall. Even I could lose you with this tide…"

As if calling bad omen, the boat caught some unusually high wave.

"Whoaa!", she exclaimed, losing her balance a moment, clutching at his shoulders.

"Careful", he said, pulling her away from the ramp, towards the walls of the boat's cabins.

"Sit down", he ordered.

A bit annoyed by his insecurities each time she was concerned, she just did as she was told, knowing he wouldn't leave her alone until she obeys. He sat down next to her, returning to his contemplation. She darted a bothered sideways glance, before replacing it with her sweetest smile.

"Say…Lord Sesshomaru…Why do you bother with the armour on a boat?", she asked innocently.

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding the meaning of her question.

"I mean…wouldn't it be hard for you to swim with it, if we were to run aground or something?"

"Playing the bird of ill omen again?", he inquired, while eying her suspiciously. "Do not underestimate me. I am not some human who will sink like a rock because I wear metal…", he replied, matter-of-factly.

"Oh…right…", she whispered. "I tend to forget we are different, sometimes", she explained shyly.

And then she sighed and crossed her arms, displaying some disappointment, which didn't go unnoticed…

"Rin…if you have something to ask…why are you so shy?", he asked, with a knowing look.

She glanced at him and noticed he was removing his armour. She looked away with a blush.

"I wasn't talking about the armour because…"

"Rin, I could feel your longing for closeness a mile away ", he cut her off, with a hint of smugness.

She blushed, and stared at him mischievously. "I think you crave for it too, my lord…"

"Hmph...Maybe so…Come now…", he said, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her against him. She didn't need more coaxing and just snuggled against his chest, and laid her head against his pelt, while he held her protectively with one arm. She smiled, thinking it was becoming some sort of routine of theirs, now.

"I should have brought you on the council before", he commented, matter-of-factly.

"Why?", she asked innocently.

"You know why. You did good…", he said to her ear.

She felt butterflies fly inside of her, savouring the compliment. "You think so?"

"You had no preparation and barely know anything about my Lands, but you are capable of quick reasoning…", he explained.

She grinned. "Thank you my lord!"

Then she gasped as she heard the sound of footsteps nearby, and tried to pull away, but the arm around her waist didn't lessen its protective hold.

"What is it?", he asked blankly.

"There are people nearby!", she whispered with panic.

"No…not really", he replied absently.

"But I heard them!", she protested.

"Is there something you don't want them to see?", he asked nonchalantly.

"W-well…it isn't that much about me…", she stuttered, blushing. "I mean…it's…for you…"

He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"My lord! What would the people think if they saw us like that?", she asked worriedly.

"You ask me what a bunch of half breed sailors would think of a demon holding a human?", he asked in reply, with a hint of derision.

"And your vassals, don't you care a little?", she questioned with a frown.

"Hmph. No", he said neutrally. "I am not ashamed of being with you, Rin."

She gasped, and blushed a little. Did he really just say that, she wondered?

"But…but…they will talk, and they will…"

"Words are wind", he interrupted, glancing at her blush, and then at her lips. "What do you expect them to do? Riot? Throw us into the sea? I don't think their attempts would be very successful…"

"But I still think it could maybe…bring unexpected consequences", Rin insisted, completely oblivious to Sesshomaru's features clearly displaying annoyance. "Some of them were really mad because you announced I would replace Tenmaru for two weeks. What would they think if they realized something was going on and…"

And then he effectively shushed her with a kiss.

She felt his lips on hers, and all the rest became a blur, slight moan escaping from her mouth, as he deepened the kiss, but he pulled away much too quickly for her likings.

"And what do you think they would have done, if they had seen this?", he asked, raising a daring eyebrow.

"F-fine I get it…just stop talking Rin", she muttered self-consciously.

"Talk all you like…just don't overthink things. This isn't you…", he whispered, eyes displaying amusement, while caressing her cheek.

She felt herself melt a little, as she glanced at his warm gaze. The possibility of not caring about appearances was truly tempting.

"Really? You wouldn't mind if all your vassals knew something was going on?", she asked in a whisper.

"These sorts of topics are complicated and controversial. I do not intend to taunt my subjects with this matter, but I will not pretend I am ashamed and hide either", he explained. "Most of them know already, anyway…"

"You think so?"

"Have you forgotten the dance, my dear Rin?", he asked, with hints of playfulness.

She blushed and felt more butterflies, not hating at all to be called like that.

"About that…I was wondering…Why did you agree to dance with me in the first place?", she asked hesitantly.

His expression grew inquisitive for a brief moment. "Because I wanted to", he replied matter-of-factly.

She blushed furiously, not wanting to ask the rest. "O-kay", she stuttered.

He looked at her suspiciously. She noticed and cursed mentally.

"And I am supposed not to be curious as to why you ask this question?"

She sighed. "Fine! What I meant to ask was…Was it your main reason? Or did you do it mostly to anger Lady Amane?", she asked with a blush.

He looked at her seriously. "What do you think now? That I merely consider you a tool at my disposal?"

"W-well…I did feel like I was your little pawn sometimes…using me to anger your mother at first, and Lady Amane, and then your vassals…"

He looked at her thoughtfully. "I make you feel this way? Like some puppet?"

She looked down. The way he said it really made her feel bad. "N-not all the times, just sometimes, when…you know…when you have reasons to do it…"

She felt his warm hand caress her cheek affectionately, and then she saw some people walk past them, but she tried to ignore them, and glanced back at him.

"Now that I think of it…You were indeed a central part to my schemes a few times …", he mused out loud.

"…So I am a little pawn", she said with a pout.

"Do not use that derogatory word. I would say…a valuable asset", he replied defensively, and then he frowned. "I shall not do it again…"

She blinked, surprised by his reaction. So he didn't do it intentionally?

"Well…actually, I do not mind it so much, I-I…"

"I would never do something, knowing it can hurt you", he cut her off in a low voice, getting closer to her, still caressing her cheek. "Now can I do anything to redeem myself?", he asked.

Rin blushed and looked down…thinking he was quite affectionate that night. She certainly didn't mind it. Maybe he missed her too…

"I…well…" She thought a moment, and then she blushed profusely. "Maybe one thing", she whispered, looking away.

"Speak."

"I…I-I want to kiss you", she confessed, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

She felt him get close but she stepped away a little. "No…not like that. I mean…me kissing you, not the other way around", she explained in a whisper.

He raised an eyebrow, silently wondering if there was something wrong with his way of kissing her. A sheepish look from her confirmed she expected an answer.

"Of course you may", he replied.

"O-okay", she said with embarrassment.

He looked at her get closer, very slowly…wondering how long it would take for her to just dive in…it did take him some self control to avoid breaking the space left and get the waiting over with.

Rin looked at him hesitantly, a little distracted by his expecting gaze, but after a while he must have understood, because he just closed his eyes. She blushed, suddenly thinking her idea was ridiculous, but finally gave up and just dove in, pressing her lips so gently against his.

She just wanted to exchange a kiss that wouldn't end up in some lustful frenzy. His way to be with her had been passionate and intense until now, but for once, she just wanted to kiss him tenderly, in hopes she could pour some of her love into him, to make him understand how he made her feel, how important he had become to her…

She had just sought comfort in his arms at first…and without even asking, he gave her wings to fly. It wasn't supposed to happen right now, at this odd and sad moment of her life, but it did anyway, and she could only be thankful…

She wanted him to be in the same state as her. She felt like he was so close sometimes, he might already be there with her already, somewhere in the sky, but he was still so hard to decipher…He must be hidden in the clouds…somewhere…

And then she realized he hadn't really kissed her back so and she just pulled away, looking at him. He opened his eyes slowly, still partly indecipherable, yet his relaxed feature told her it couldn't be that bad…but she felt very insecure anyway…

She smiled shyly, staring at sea. "It was not the best kiss…was it?"

He made her look up at him with a finger under her chin, and laid his forehead against hers. "It was…soft…", he commented in a whisper. "Is this how you like to be kissed?"

She looked down with embarrassment and nodded. "Sometimes…", she said evasively.

He didn't inquire further and just kissed her back…softly like she did, teasing her delicately only, not trying to deepen the kiss, not trying to make her lose balance or build her lust. He found out he didn't mind the softness she longed for: it was pleasantly soothing…it did get hard not to give more, but he quite acutely understood what she was asking for was a more chaste kind of affection, so for once he just dropped the battle for dominance and desire and submitted to her delicate needs.

After a while though, he heard her trying to repress a moan as he kept kissing, and her hands wander in his hair, and then he had to quit her lips to avoid deepening the kiss, and just aimed for her neck, but the sound of her sighs informed him that his attempts at giving her only uncorrupted softness had failed.

"I suppose I should stop", he observed in a whisper.

"…mmm-hmph…yes…people might see…", she whispered back, in an attempt to rationalise.

He didn't feel like arguing over this matter again and just pulled away, resting his back again lazily against the mast, and stared at the horizon

She tried to retrieve her composure, a little upset at how even she slightest mark of affection made her feel this way, she felt weak each time he got close. She just wished she could be a little more in control; for once…She glanced at him and noticed how he stared at the moon again, seemingly deep in thoughts.

"Why do you always do that?", she asked naively. "Stare at the moon…I mean…"

He glanced at her silently.

"Does it help you think? Do you like its sight? I mean…I don't know, why are you doing this every night?", she asked with a smile.

He frowned, looking back at it, musing silently. At some point she just stopped waiting for his answer.

"…I suppose it is a bit of both", he answered thoughtfully. "I enjoy its appeal and constancy. It helps me ponder…"

"Ponder about what?", she asked, full of curiosity.

He glanced at her before going back to the moon. What did he think about? About everything… About his heritage, his empire, his future…Recently, mostly about the risk of a war, bigger than anything he had to manage before…but his did think a lot about her, mostly regretting things he said or did, or things he hadn't said or done, but the worst was the harassing reminder he wanted her close, yet he didn't know how exactly… Time was running out, an important part of summer gone already, and he hadn't any answer to that.

He often wondered if she had chosen her path already…and if all his ponderings had a point. They would most certainly have no point if she decided to go back to a human life. Yet, he wondered if he would even be able to let her go back to such a life and find another human boy. He frowned with frustration, hating the idea that she could possibly find happiness another time with some human …

He frowned deeper, did it have to be a human boy? Maybe it would actually be easier for him to be involved with her if she was living with humans. Her village was very open minded towards hanyous, contrary to his lands, and she already had a place in the human world, he could come visit her and…

He chased that thought away. That was absurd. He had sent her away for the biggest part of her life, he couldn't possibly keep her away like this again, only to suit his practical needs. He needed to find her a place in his demon world...and he had to be quick about it…

And why did the prospect of having hanyou children hadn't brought any repulsion to his mind? He should really avoid more half-breed in his bloodline …

He glanced back at her and noticed she had been staring all this time. A cool nightly sea breeze blew and made her shiver. He instinctively put his pelt around her shoulders. She gripped at it and laid her head against his shoulder.

"Someday…I will find out what is going through your mind all the time at night", she said in a whisper.

That prospect didn't please him. He glanced back at the sky, silent for a while.

"Have you ever wondered just how far the moon is, and what it is exactly?", Rin asked spontaneously, voluntarily changing the subject as she stared at the moon as well.

"…Who knows…there are a few old demonic myths speculating about this", he said evasively.

"Oh really?", she asked with sudden interest. "Tell me about it!"

"These are just old stories to amuse the children and the elderly", he said boringly.

"Oh please…You brought it up! And I know nothing about demon culture and all of that!", she insisted, with pleading eyes.

Because he couldn't refuse anything to these eyes, he just obeyed…

"In old demon legends, they call it the door of deliverance…It is said to bring anyone who touches it in mysterious holy lands..."

"Do you believe that?", she asked in curiosity.

"…It is said some tormented demons have tried to fly as high as they could to reach it, some going over the highest clouds…to no avail… Most were never seen again…But the ones who came back claimed the moon is simply unapproachable, asserting the air grew scarce and cold as they got closer, and that attempts to touch at the moon brought more despair than any sort of relief..."

"So no one knows what is really up there?"

"The holy lands are supposed to be a place of salvation and liberation. However, some people believe it is only attainable to those who have reached redemption before they leave the earth."

"And how do you do that?"

"Nobody knows until they die. If redemption is achieved, the soul can fly until it reaches the moon…"

"…And what about the underworld?", Rin asked, with a little bit of dread. "I thought this is where the dead goes…"

"The underworld is for those who have not attained redemption", he explained, matter-of-factly.

She snuggled closer to him, thoughts of that dark place bringing back bad memories. He slid an arm around her shoulder, making her lay against his chest again.

"You shouldn't worry. I will make sure you do not visit this damned place again", he said in a low voice.

She smiled in reassurance and closed her eyes. "I know. You have all my trust, Sesshomaru-sama", she whispered.

And then her slow heartbeat and steady breathing confirmed she was fast asleep. He frowned, thinking about her words, wondering if he truly deserved her unconditional trust…when he didn't even trust himself around her…

…

Sesshomaru opened the eyes as he saw a flash of lightning through his eyelids; forcing him to leave his peaceful state…he had almost fallen asleep…

He frowned as he felt strong gusts of humidity. He glanced at the sky. A storm was coming…again!

He glanced at his sleeping ward, looking so peaceful in his arms.

"Rin…", he whispered to her ear.

She moaned and burrowed her face in his pelt. His lips twitched in a mocking smile.

"Rin", he tried a little louder.

And then there was thunder, and she woke up with a start.

"Wh-what? What is it?", she asked, breathing heavily. She glanced at the sky worriedly.

"I suppose we should find a roof…", he said blankly.

"Y-yes!

However, as soon as they stood up, it was obvious whatever was coming wouldn't be quiet, the demon instinctively sliding an arm around her shoulders, as he was worried she might lose her balance…the boat balancing with protuberance from one side to the other.

"What is going on? Why is the boat moving so much?", Rin inquired worriedly.

Strong gusts of wind blew on them, and more lightnings were seen. "We should find the others…", he replied.

A sailor intercepted them abruptly.

"What are you doing here? Get inside, a storm is coming!"

"And I suppose staying in closets is the safest option?", inquired Sesshomaru with annoyance.

"I am afraid so, sire. Let us do our work…the boat is already far too unsteady for any traveller to stay on the decks…", he replied.

"Let us go my lord. And we can also make sure Kireru and Tatsumaki are okay…", she whispered encouragingly.

"Hmph…"

Rin soon guessed Sesshomaru had a deep hatred for small spaces, looking sullen as soon as they got in the ship hold…but she already had her suspicions in the past, considering he rarely got inside Kaede's hut when he visited her. She had thought it was simple disdain for human habitations back then, but now that she thought of it, the high walls and large rooms of his mansion might be another demonstration that he may be a little…just a little…claustrophobic.

However, she found out that even sullen, he was more composed then the others…

They found Tatsumaki half passed out, lying on the floor, her arm lying on her face dramatically, while Kireru sat not too far, apparently trying to read something he had dropped on the floor, while holding his knees, face greenish. Rin felt sympathy at the sight of them, they looked exaggeratedly miserable…

"Rin…Sesshomaru…", observed Kireru, with a total lack of energy. "You look well…"

"Alas Kireru…I'm sorry for your pain…", replied Rin with a compassionate smile.

Then Tatsumaki lifted her arm to glance at them. "How come he's okay like that? He must have a bit of human blood in him…", she muttered.

"Care to repeat that?", asked Sesshomaru dryly.

"Leave him be Tatsumaki, his father was the same…I think most dog demons are fine on water", observed Kireru, frowning.

"You better get prepared for more movements, a coming storm seem to have unpleasant consequences on the tide", observed Sesshomaru coldly.

"We could barely walk straight on the deck", added Rin.

"No worries…our bowels are completely empty, my lord…", retorted Tatsumaki, with a mix of agony and sarcasm.

"Let's hope it doesn't slow us down. We are supposed to arrive at the capital island by dawn", observed Kireru.

"Yeah I can't wait to get out of this hellish floating piece of junk", insisted the red-eyed demon.

All of a sudden, they stopped talking, as a sinister creak was heard…and then the boat started to tilt so much, Rin took a few steps back to lay against the wall, even Sesshomaru was forced to step back of two or three steps.

"There it goes…", muttered the fox demon.

And then another creak and the boat started to tilt on the other side.

"Let's just sit down, Rin", suggested Sesshomaru, looking truly annoyed.

But the third time, the tilting was so intense and so quick; they all lost balance and fell on the other side of the boat, Tatsumaki falling unceremoniously on the Sesshomaru, who glared quite aggressively.

"Ahhh please gods save us!", complained the wind demoness, completely oblivious.

And then the boat started to tilt again on the other side. Sesshomaru had some bad feeling and decided to get away from Tatsumaki that had been clinging to his back and he took Rin in his arms.

And then the boat leaned so violently they felt as if they were falling in emptiness, boat pulled on one side by some violent force, all of the occupants thrown against the other wall, some of them screaming, only Rin spared of the violent shock against the wooden surface. She noticed Sesshomaru's jaw tighten.

"OWWW damnit! What about me!?", complained the wind demoness.

But before they could recover, they felt the boat starting to tilt again, quickly, and were thrown on the other side again. Rin not so well protected this time hissed as her left ribs hit the wall, a loud wooden resounding sound informing them the boat had hit something solid.

"Enough. We get out of here", ordered Sesshomaru angrily.

He just made a swift jump at the stairs, holding Rin, while Tatsumaki and Kireru crawled towards them.

"Hold my hand", he ordered her as he climbed the stairs first. Rin held him with one hand, and the banister with the other, but at some point the boat tilted so much she realized her feet were close to leave the ground.

"Quick!", barked Sesshomaru, kicking the door with a foot.

She made a jump to finish the ascent, and gasped as her hand clung at the wet doorframe, her body hanging in the air, but Sesshomaru pulled at her hand to make her get out at once.

"Don't ever let my hand go", he ordered.

"What is happening, where is the crew?", wondered Rin, glancing around her. There was no one around…the rain heavy pouring on them.

They made a few steps, shuffling against the walls and masts and anything they could cling to, until the reached the rudder, to find to captain dead, a lance protruding from his back, mix of water and blood dripping from his body.

"Oh no!", exclaimed Rin, overwhelmed, the sight was ghastly... "What happened?"

"Look ahead. We can see the land", answered the demon impassively, not her shock.

Then the boat tilted again, both held on the helm. They could hear panicked screams of people going out as well, Rin thought she heard the splashing sound of a few people fall into the sea…

The sound of swords was heard. Sesshomaru glanced behind his shoulder and saw a pack of gaunt lizard looking warriors attacking the people trying to get out.

Afterwards it was a piercing scream of some furious beast…they glanced up to see a bird demon with fiery red eyes, making circles around the boat. Sesshomaru wondered briefly how could this thing fly with such a violent wind and rain, but he supposed the size of its wings could explain it. Then the beast charged straight at them, opening its claws threateningly.

Sesshomaru unsheathed Bakusaiga.

"Rin, step back."

She obliged and closed her eyes as his sword stabbed the beast, another piercing scream heard. But then the boat started to tilt in an unusual direction, its nose was now going straight into the water. Rin gasped.

"Sesshomaru-sama!"

And then they were underwater, Rin clinging to him as he held the helm, trying to ignore the burning sensation of the water in her eyes, the water red a brief instant because of the slayed beast. After a short moment, the boat was pulled in the opposite direction, momentarily going back up.

Rin took a deep breath as they reached the surface, grimacing at the salty taste on her lips, and then she instantly felt the heavy weight and narrow shape of her kimono restricting her movements. At least, their bodies were completely out of the water again. Sesshomaru glanced around them with concerns; the boat wasn't as high as it was before.

"We are sinking", he observed.

"Wh-what?!"

Other screaming birds were heard. The demon frowned.

"Rin…can you swim well?"

Her eyes widened a moment, before she regained her composure.

"I…y-yes. Why?", she asked worriedly.

"These beasts are attacking the boat and will keep doing so until there is nothing left from it. The best thing you can do is leave this thing at once."

She glanced behind her shoulder and gulped as she saw the distance she had to swim. She supposed it could be done, but…the waves were so high!

"Rin can you do it?", Sesshomaru asked, with a tad of concern.

She gulped again.

"Y-yes I think so…", she stammered

He raised an eyebrow in doubt. Then she frowned in determination.

"Yes. Trust me Sesshomaru-sama, I will be fine on my own."

"Then go. Reach the beach and wait for me."

She glanced back again and nodded. She instinctively untied her obi and removed her kimono.

"What are you doing?", the demon asked with confusion.

"My clothes are too heavy", she said, as she tore a part of her hadajuban to allow free movement of her legs.

She made a few steps to stare down at the water, and gulped.

"Do you need help to go down?", he asked, following her closely.

"N-no…I can jump, it's okay", she said reassuringly.

Then she glanced back at him, gleam of doubts in her eyes, which didn't calm his doubts at the prospect of leaving her in wild waters during a storm, but her expression switched quickly to determination again.

"I will see you on the lands", she said with a smile.

"I'm counting on it", he replied with piercing eyes.

And then she did what she had to do to feel better. She kissed him fully on the lips, in attempts to steal a bit of courage. He was surprised for a brief moment by her odd timing but just decided to play along.

A piercing scream of wicked bird was heard again. She pulled away with a startle.

"Go now", he ordered with a frown…before he could change his mind…

She nodded, and without glancing back, she ran and she jumped.

Sesshomaru looked down with a frown of concern, but the bird forced him to look away before he could glance at her going up the surface.

…

Rin's lips tightened as she felt the burning sensation in her eyes again, but she had to look so she could know where she was exactly, the current so unpredictable she had no way to know if she was going up and further down the water. The sea was so deep…

Much to her relief, it seemed the current was rather pushing her towards the lands. She swam to get out of the water, her lungs starting to burn as well, and took a deep breath as soon as she found the surface. But it was only for a short moment, as heavy rain entered her mouth and a wave engulfed her for a brief moment, making her cough and choke, the burning water in her throat and nose now…

…She decided she liked the water of the icy rivers more than the damned sea…

She swam more, never glancing back, but she found out that as she got closer to the beach, it was getting harder to move forward, the vicious waves apparently trying to pull her back into the ocean. She saw flashes of lightning and wanted to scream, but she decided to keep her mouth shut instead. She fought, as best as she could against the tide, ignoring the wind and the blinding flashes of light, because she had no idea what else she could do. She hated storms, she wasn't used to deep waters…and it was her first time swimming in the turbulent sea…but she had to be strong… If he thought she shouldn't simply be his ward anymore, she had to behave as such…

As she was being engulfed by a wave again, she heard piercing screams coming from the boat. When she was able to glance up, she noticed some bird monsters were now flying towards the beach, which was not good news at all. She had no means of defence. She had lost the habit of bringing a dagger with her…

She wondered what was worse between the sea or these birds, and decided the waves were much worse. At least with the birds, she could see the threat coming. The sea was a fake refuge; viciously trying to drown her for a lapse of time she had a very hard time to estimate. It felt like she had just jumped…yet it felt like it had been hours as well…

She looked back again to see how far she had swum, and saw a flash of green on the now faraway boat. She felt dread, Sesshomaru must have used Bakusaiga.

But then her knee hitting something sharp underwater brought her back to reality. She whelped in pain, and tried to hold her leg, but another wave pushed her and made her lose her balance, making her fall against a few sharp rocks underwater.

She felt her body graze against some rocks and sand, and other waves washed over her. She was quite sure her hadajuban must be ripped at a few places, now…she might even have cut herself… She tried to stand up, but the waves were so strong…and her muscles were numb…The water wasn't even deep anymore and she felt like she was drowning.

But then she felt a pair of hands snatch her from the nasty waves and rocks, forcing her on her feet and pulling her towards the beach, after sometime she found her balance and made a couple of steps, and ran with the person, while looking down at the foamy wavelets…after a while her frame now completely out of the water…

Rin stared at the sky now illuminated with a new dawn. She sighed in relief as she realized it was over, as the soft sand clung to her wet feet. She glanced up to see the person who had helped her and her eyes widened.

"Kireru? H-how is this possible?"

"No chit chatting! Run!", screamed a female voice, that Rin instantly recognized the wind demoness, a few steps away from them, holding a lance.

They ran on the beach, Rin glanced back and saw the woman was struggling with a bird, but a windy attack made the beast lose its balance, and she succeeded assaulting it in no time.

"Rin, are you okay?", asked the fox, bringing her back to reality.

She glanced back at him, looking a bit lost.

"Here, take my cape", he said self-consciously, looking away.

And then she remembered she had dropped her kimono earlier, and she realized the sight of her with her wet hadajuban clinging to her body must not be appropriate at all.

"Th-thanks", she stammered. "I don't understand. How could you reach the beach before me?"

"I suppose our eagerness to leave the boat made us swim very quickly", he said jokingly, then he frowned. "We were worried…you took a long time"

"Yes…I did…struggle a bit, I never swam into the sea. In fact…I'm not a very good swimmer", Rin confessed, looking down.

"You should have told us. We could have helped", answered the fox demon. "I'm not sure Lord Sesshomaru would be happy to know that…"

"Please…don't tell him", Rin whispered. "I…I had to do it. I knew I could do it…"

"You know… Your survival should be your priority. I think he would prefer that you take your strengths and weaknesses into account, rather than try to impress him at all costs", Kireru argued.

"Yeah well…sometimes I wonder what are my strengths… around you all", she muttered sheepishly.

"MOOOVE!", yelled Tatsumaki, as another piercing scream was heard.

They only had the time to glance up and see another beast charge at them. The fox took out his sword defensively, but before any of them could attack, a flash of green annihilated the flying attacker, leaving only a few fuzzy feathers, blown away by the sea breeze.

Rin looked down swiftly.

"Sesshomaru-sama!", she exclaimed happily, as she saw him approach the group, sheathing his sword, wet from head to toe, and annoyed!

"Well it was my prey…sort of", said Tatsumaki nonchalantly.

"Hmph", the lord replied with total lack of interest. He glanced at Rin. She might be grinning, but he thought she looked a little shaken up. He frowned and approached her. Her clothes may be wet, but he was affirmative there was a slight smell of blood on her. She was definitely hiding an injury.

"Are you alright?", he felt compelled to ask.

"Hmm-mmm, yes, my lord", she said in a low voice, with a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure?", he insisted, with a frown.

"She is a tough one", replied Kireru reassuringly. Rin mentally thanked him.

Silently comprehending she had no intention to speak front of the others, he let the matter go…for now…

"…I've found something interesting, on one of the warriors", said Sesshomaru, as he took out what looked like a bracelet from his pocket.

Rin glanced at the azure colour…wondering if it was what she thought it was…

"The Heartlands colours", observed the fox demon.

"No way! So the blue pain is really behind the attacks?", commented the wind demoness.

Rin refrained a smirk as she heard the nickname.

"Indeed, though Lady Miyah may know already…", observed the dog demon.

"We have to find her as soon as possible. She may be in danger…", commented Rin worriedly.

"Oh I think she must be fine", retorted the fox demon with a frown.

"Who knows? Come on! Let's go!", insisted Rin, running out of the beach, the three others glancing at her, with varying degrees of surprise at her sudden outburst.

"She is far too energetic for her own good", observed the wind demoness.

"We call this enthusiasm, Tatsumaki", retorted Sesshomaru with annoyance. "Let us go", he ordered, as he moved forward, quickly catching up with his ward.

The wind demoness looked at them sceptically.

"Meh…I really don't get these two…I mean…what does he see in this human brat?", she wondered out loud with exasperation.

"Hmm…", replied the fox nonchalantly as he glanced at them walk alongside. He couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity at the sight of them…though his late master Inu Taisho never had the guts to travel with his human princess in potentially dangerous missions like his son did with his ward…Inu Taisho didn't give her a decisional position on his council either…

Inu Taisho had questioned the mere concept of demon lands long ago. Even if most of the people on the Western Lands still mocked that notion, Kireru personally thought the concept was only logical…After all, they were in a mission to negotiate with half demons, to insure their own safety, it could be a sign that the world was changing…

But he never would have thought that he, Lord Sesshomaru, so disdainful of humans barely a decade ago, would be the one triggering these radical changes for the Western Lands. Indeed, if Inu Taisho's son kept going, he shall not only to surpass his father in strength, but also in forward thinking… the fox demon wondered if the lord was aware of that…

…End of chapter…

A/N: Yup…writing about thunderstorms and boats and beaches. Meanwhile in Canada, it's like…-1000 outside and covered with 1 meter of snow on the ground…I think I hate winter X)

Now…call me cruel all you like, but I feel compelled to tell you that…if this chapter was almost perfectly chaste…next one is all the contrary…Yes, the next one will be M in all the senses of the term! I have to admit I even have a few second thoughts about some of my evil schemes…but yah…I think it will pass *evil grin*

Don't forget to review! I need fuel to keep going!

And yup, answers to anonymous reviews here. Again a few guests, so I will just number you by who reviewed first…hope that won't be too confusing…

Jj: Yup…one step after the other…she progresses…let's see how far she goes ;) Thanks for the faithful reviews!

Guest1: I suppose you're talking about Amane, now right? Well…we'll see! Thanks for the feedback!

Kat: Yes last chapter was all about reflections…but I felt like I couldn't just stop it in a spot with too many doubts, that would have been cruel :) Thanks for the regular comments!

Guest2: Yup, denial is the right word sadly. I wonder how long it will last…Thanks for the review!

Guest3: Yes, I know it was a bit sad that he wouldn't see her as a mate yet…but what happened the day before was a bit spontaneous…so…yeah. Of course, we don't know yet, when the loss of innocence will occur, and the attraction is so great it could be anytime now, but we'll what happens ;) Thanks for the compliment, and the review :)

Mteagle128: Thanks :)

Gingersnaps: Yeah I know…I have some sick habit with my endings, sorry about that! Yes, Sesshomaru putting her on the council was overdue now, wasn't it? We'll see how good she becomes at her new function ;) Thank you for the feedback :)

Guest4: I think the number of reviews for a story is an unpredictable science. I suppose the length of my chapters is not for everyone…What I know, though, is that I appreciate all the reviews I have :) I'm glad you like my portrayal of Rin and Sesshomaru, it is one of the things I focus the most on with this story…Thanks for the review!


	13. Lady Witness (part 1)

A/N : Thanks again for your reviews everyone!

Yeah…I started writing and writing and writing with determination and dedication as usual, but then I had x idea to add there, and y idea to put there…and BAM!…20 000 words Goliath ensued -_- I don't get it, when I write, it jumps to 1000, and then 3000… then…20 000? Oh you damn brain! Stop writing long stuff!

So, since I am such a good soul and didn't want you to linger for too long, I thought I would split this thing in two, while I finish the other part, that is trickier to do anyway, so it's all in your best interests to wait a few days more, of course!

Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Lady Witness (part 1)

_Nika swung her wings nervously, as Kaeru grabbed both of her legs and wrapped them _

_suggestively around his muscular waist. His hands massaged her tights, while nipping _

_at her earlobe. The fay moaned and wrapped her arms around him, singing her fantasy_

_while watching the moon rise. _

Rin felt a drop of sweat running down her back, the familiarity of this scene unsettling her a bit too much. She sat with her injured leg stretched on a mattress way too hard for her likings, while the healer had left to get the medicinal herbs her cut required. She had thought all this fuss over her knee was an exaggeration, but Sesshomaru had insisted on stopping to the closest village, so her wound could be checked as soon as possible. Apparently, she had cut herself on corals, some of them being very sharp, and sometimes poisonous, hence the medicinal herb the healer was gone to fetch.

Not wanting to waste too much time, Sesshomaru had left to get her something to wear, her ripped hadajuban not the most appropriate attire to meet the Lady of Kun'Ketsu, while Tatsumaki and Kireru were watching the hut she rested in from outside. Rin could sometimes hear what they were talking about…She did hear a tale about Sesshomaru doing a deal with humans at the southern borders earlier –that surprised her a lot– but at the moment, she truly wasn't listening. She couldn't help but notice the healer had _The_ _Pink Orchid_ among all the other books he had for his patients. After briefly wondering why all demons were so obsessional over this book, she just picked it up and found the last page she had read.

And there she was, lying on a bed hard as rock, in a boiling hut, reading some steamy literature. She supposed life could be worse.

"_Kaeru, please make see the stars!", begged the nymph, pulling him closer with a _

_swift movement of her ankles on his back. The night was falling , and the_

_wolf-man would transform soon. He had to bring her to the nirvana of bliss_

_before it was too late. _

Rin smirked. That thing was so corny…

_There was not much time left, and the nymph was insatiable. Kaeru ripped her skirts, _

_spread her legs open and kissed her where it matters the…_

"Rin"

Rin's heart skipped a beat, while she closed the book in one loud SLAP, and smiled innocently, sliding the object of sin under her pillow.

"Sesshomaru-sama, you are back!", she said cheerfully, hoping her happiness would distract him from her burgundy cheeks.

He glanced at her impassively, and then, the healer got in, with a bag of herbs and a bucket.

"I found what I was searching for, it shouldn't take long", he announced, dripping a cloth in the hot water. Rin clenched her teeth as he brought the wet fabric on her knee, trying not to hiss. She knew he was doing the right thing, she had done it to herself at least half a dozen times, but each time was as unpleasant as the other. Next he proceeded mixing a few herbs, and applied the mixture on her leg, leaving some tingly sensation that soothed the discomfort left from the hotness on her open injury.

Rin looked with a tad of disdain at the cut on her leg. Even though she had helped Kaede taking care of the injured numerous times, she always felt uneasy when looking at an open wound. She glanced at Sesshomaru, who had not left the room…Of course it was so like him not to leave her alone with a complete stranger…even though it meant he had to stay in a hut for longer than he would have liked. He watched the healer do his job, completely insensible to the redness of the water that had been used to clean the wound, or the perforation the healer started to do to stitch the gash. Rin kept looking at him, in hopes she wouldn't notice the pain…the herbs helped numb the sensation, but still…

She clenched her teeth more, but then…the needle caught some sensitive spot and her leg twitched and…

"Aaahh!", she let escape from her lips, and then came a deep intake of breath, sounding like a hiss…

And then she was frustrated because she had shown signs of weakness in front of Sesshomaru.

"Stay still, it is almost done now", said the healer.

"Yes…", she whispered.

And then there were a few moments of mild pain and he was indeed done, and he quickly applied a bandage around her leg.

"These herbs are good, you should already feel better in a few hours. Until then, do not run, and do not lie on your knees. Seawater is not dangerous but it could sting. Maybe you should just take it easy for a few days, it would be safer", the healer advised. "I will leave you some extra bandages. You know how to put these?"

"Yes of course, don't worry. I will be fine on my own", said Rin reassuringly.

"Good. You can change and leave. Take care now", he said.

Rin watched him bow and leave the room, and then Sesshomaru approach. She was already feeling excited to see the clothes he had found for her. He gave her the bag, and watched her open it with a childish grin.

"You are spoiled", he stated impassively.

"I know right!?", she exclaimed cheerfully, and then she gasped in admiration, looking at the bright golden fabric, with white and silver lily patterns.

"It's so pretty! I don't get it…how do you always get the prettiest stuff?", she asked excitedly.

He raised an eyebrow. How he got the _prettiest_ _stuff_? He always got the most _expensive_ _stuff_, there was no safer bet when women tastes were involved. But she didn't need to know that.

"I will give you some privacy", he said, standing up and walking towards the exit.

"W-wait!", she called. "Please don't go too far! This obi is so long, I think I may need help!"

He raised an eyebrow. "And you think I should be the one helping you with that?", he inquired.

She blushed. "W-well…you did it once…after the fireworks…Would you prefer that I ask Tatsumaki?"

He frowned. Asking Tatsumaki could mean another nasty fight between the wind demoness and his ward…Bad idea…

"As you wish", he replied nonchalantly, closing the door. He stared at it, while he heard her remove her rags, and put the new kimono on.

"Okay I am done!", she announced.

He glanced over his shoulder and walked back to her. Without further requests, he just stood behind her, slid her hair over her shoulder, ignored the goosebumps his slight touch had caused, and took the piece of fabric from her hands, sliding it swiftly around her stomach, while she adjusted it, and he tied the thing in the best way he could, but the fact that he was a demon lord -and not a maid- didn't help at all.

And then he thought that he could torment her for a little revenge…

"I know what you were reading just now", he stated coldly.

He felt her temperature rise. Rin was so embarrassed. What was she supposed to say?

"Yeah…so? What is wrong with that", she asked defensively.

"I am not judging", he said impassively.

"Then why do you bring it up?", asked Rin sheepishly, glancing briefly back at him over her shoulder.

He raised his eyebrow in a daring manner, and then tilted his head to get closer to her.

"Because I want to remind you, that if you have such needs…you do not need to rely on fantasy", he whispered to her ear.

Rin felt herself go weak on her knees for a brief moment and sweat form in her palms.

"My lord…you can't say things like that!", she whispered back nervously.

"Why?", he asked nonchalantly.

She stayed silent a moment, mortified. She wasn't used to him talking…_dirty_…For some reason, it always felt odd to her when they had talks about their _involvement_ in plain daylight…so it was even worse if it was anything related to intimate activities!

"How do I look?", she asked, wanting to change the subject.

He looked at her for a while, without a word.

Voluptuous, curvy, tantalizing…He frowned; annoyed with himself…he couldn't say that…he wasn't even supposed to think this way. Where was his self-control when he needed it the most? Now his sick mind sounded just like Tenmaru's. It must be the damn summer heat on this damn island. Oh he so desired the soothing coolness of ice and snow and the moment…

And why did she need so many compliments all the time? No, this time, he simply couldn't find an appropriate adjective to soothe her whim.

"Let us go", he stated absently, already going out. She blinked and followed him.

"My lord?", she said. "Why don't you answer?"

"Because you don't need it", he stated, blankly.

Then she looked a bit sad. "What is that supposed to mean?"

They got out, the two vassals standing up.

"Finally!", exclaimed Tatsumaki, stretching her arms.

Rin frowned, wondering why her lord was so taciturn about her looks, now he got her worried. She glanced back at the vassals hopefully.

"Kireru…", she started.

"Yes?", replied the fox with curiosity.

"How do I look?", she asked apprehensively.

The vassal's green eyes widened at the question, and he felt a sweat drop form on his temple, as he saw his master glare at him.

"Hum…the dress is fine, Lady Rin", he answered cautiously.

"So I look good?", she insisted hopefully.

"As usual. Why do you even ask?", he replied with a puzzled look.

"Exactly", Sesshomaru mumbled with annoyance.

Rin looked worriedly at Sesshomaru. "What is wrong, my lord?"

"Hmph."

"Ohhh! I sense a quarrel coming…", observed Tatsumaki with a smirk.

"Why won't you tell me what is wrong with the kimono?", asked Rin, ignoring the wind demoness.

"What makes you think something is wrong with the dress?", asked the fox vassal with confusion.

"Sesshomaru-sama didn't compliment me as usual", she replied with a pout, while looking away in fear he might glare.

"What now, he must compliment you each time you wear something new?", asked Tatsumaki with a smirk.

Rin glanced at her with a pout.

"Stupid girl. I can only sympathize with him", replied the demon woman, narrowing her red eyes with mockery.

"What do you mean, Tatsumaki?"

"No real woman beg for compliments all the time!", she answered.

Rin blinked a few times, then glanced back at Sesshomaru. "Is this the reason?"

"…"

"Your _boyfriend_ must be bored out of his mind with your endless interrogations", retorted the wind demoness with a smug look.

"Hey! You can't just give names to Sesshomaru-sama like that!", exclaimed Rin with healthy blush.

"Oh please…now I bet you'll say nothing is going on, right?", she asked with a smirk. "Lord Sesshomaru…you are your protégé's little boyfriend, right?"

"Tatsumaki stop that!", exclaimed Rin with embarrassment.

Sesshomaru just ignored them all, apparently oblivious to their conversation topic (or feigning brilliantly) and moved forward on the pathway.

"…I'll take that for a yes", mumbled Tatsumaki with a sly smile.

"Oh drop it Tatsumaki. You are visibly embarrassing them", retorted Kireru with annoyance.

Rin moved away from them with a quick walk, trying to catch up with Sesshomaru, while also trying to keep some distance.

She felt stupid now…she had been childish and had embarrassed them both, and she couldn't take that back…She pouted again…he must really think she was immature and silly. She decided to just stay quiet…hoping to be forgotten for a while…

She looked up at the lush forests, thick leaves creating a pleasant green ceiling, hiding them from the hot sunrays. She then stared longingly at lychee trees and…nashis trees…

Her features turned into a scowl…She picked one of the fruit and stared at it sadly. The last time she saw one…it was…

It was when _he_ ate it. That was the last thing Kohaku had eaten before he died…

She wondered why she thought of him all of a sudden? Was it only because of the fruit? Or because _he_ for one wasn't the type to make a fuss over any compliment she fancied…Kohaku…he praised her almost everyday…He just gave her what she wanted, on contrary of a complicated dog demon in front of her, looking at her warmly and making her feel like the seventh wonder of the world one day, and all icy and aloof the next day…She felt nostalgic and sad now…and so confused…

She looked up again and noticed they had to climb up a small grassy hill with a rocky summit, Sesshomaru already half way up. Rin just moved forward without thinking and was almost done, but then she felt slight pain on her knee and she winced, only to glance up at a pair of piercing amber eyes. Rin wondered just when he had gotten close to her like this. She just smiled and felt all-warm inside at his concerns.

"Your leg", he reminded, matter-of-factly.

"It's okay, we are almost done", she said reassuringly.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself", he insisted.

He climbed on the last rock and stretched out both of his arms. Rin looked at him with puzzlement and just smiled. Of course he would help…She took both of his hands and took a step with her good leg to give herself an in-run and he lifted her as if she was as light as a breeze. He stared at her a tad longer than usual, as she set her feet on the ground, noticing her aggravated expression.

"What is troubling you?", he asked straightforwardly.

She was startled, not expecting the outburst of curiosity, and just smiled at him shyly.

"Are you still thinking of earlier?", he interrogated, while raising an eyebrow.

"Wh-what? N-no…not at all…That was just childishness…"", she responded truthfully and glanced at him with embarrassment. "What about you?"

"Hmph…", was the only reply, accompanied with a raised eyebrow.

She took that for something in the lines of "_Do you really think I would bother with this more than a millisecond, Rin?" _and dropped the matter. She took the fruit that she had hidden in her obi and just took a bite, as if to get rid of the nostalgia that came with it, enjoying how juicy and sweet it was. It was much better than those at her village. He glanced at her curiously.

"Do you want a bite?", she asked innocently, expecting a frown, a scowl or a total absence of reaction.

She saw him raise an eyebrow, with mild interest.

"Hmph…Why not", he said with composure, taking it gently from her hands and taking a bite of his own. Rin stared at him in disbelief.

"No way! You weren't supposed to say yes!", she exclaimed.

He darted a curious sideways glance. "Why do you even ask if sharing wasn't your intention?"

"N-no…I meant…Since when do you eat fruits, Sesshomaru-sama?!"

"…I don't mind this sort…", he commented absently, then he raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were past that", he added, taking another bite.

"Past what?"

"The bewilderment over my eating habits"

"Well…no…I mean…A crude fruit? Inu-Yasha stays away from those…"

"And why do you compare me to this animal?", retorted Sesshomaru dryly.

Rin just burst out in laughter. He looked at her with a tad of puzzlement.

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru-sama. I never meant to compare you to him. I mean…well I just wanted to compare the dog demon part…"

"Do not compare me to him ever again", he said with a tad of spite.

"Yeah…right…I apologized for that already", she responded playfully, and then she frowned. "What the hell!"

He raised an eyebrow at her outburst.

"You almost ate it all!", she exclaimed, unbelieving.

He stared at the half eaten thing and raised an eyebrow. "You asked if I wanted some", he stated.

"No, I just offered one bite!", she retorted with a grin.

"…"

"I was hungry!", she teased more. "That fruit was good! You stole it from me!", she accused, leaving out the part where she was going to make a comment over Inu-Yasha's gluttony.

He glanced at the fruit, remembering her words…she was right…It wasn't right to take possession his mortal protégé's food like that.

"Hmmm…I suppose I should redeem myself…", he admitted absently.

He stared at the trees and spotted another one containing nashis, took one and gave it to her.

"It's not ripe!", she said, crossing her arms with laughing eyes.

He glanced at her annoyingly, and just when she thought he might "hmph" at her and walk away…He stared back at the tree, actually searching for a nice one. Rin's eyes just went wide, while staring at him. Kami he was so unpredictable at times…

"There", he said, with a tad of annoyance, giving her another one.

She took it from his warm hands, and grinned mischievously.

"O-okay, this one looks good!", she exclaimed with a smug look.

"…Spoiled brat", he mumbled in a low voice.

"Hey! I heard that!", she exclaimed with a grin, not really angry, she knew he was right…

Before he could consider whether or not he should reply, he simply looked away from her and unsheathed Bakusaiga.

"What is it?", Rin asked quickly.

"Enemies. Stay close", he instructed.

"You usually ask me to hide", she observed in a low voice.

"Not this time. You can't run", he reminded.

"Oh…", she just answered. _Now that could be a bother._

Both glanced down the hill just in time to see two hooded figures running in their direction, but Tatsumaki and Kireru, both with weapons raised, caught up with them. The two unknown foes noticed and ensued a fight. Sesshomaru didn't move.

"You will not help them?", asked Rin.

"No. They are fine on their own", he answered absently.

Rin glanced back at him and noticed he didn't seem to be really paying attention at the fight, his amber gaze unblinking, not moving with the movement of the commotion.

It didn't take her long to understand. She only had the time to hear the rustling sound of leaves, before he took out his green whip and caught some figure that was hidden in a bush behind them.

The dog demon pulled at his whip and pulled out a man from the wilds, hidden under a hood as well, struggling to set himself free. Sesshomaru subsequently approached him of a few steps, still holding him with the whip with one hand, while holding his sword in the other. The hood slid down as the attacker lost his balance and fell on the ground. Rin gasped, as she noticed the attacker was actually quite young. A demon, certainly younger than Sesshomaru: barely a stripling, with tied red hair and freckles on his cheekbones. As he noticed the inuyoukai was getting closer, he took out his own sword, but Sesshomaru knocked it out from his hand, with one movement of Bakusaiga. Rin saw Sesshomaru raise his sword another time…

"Stop!", she exclaimed. "Don't kill him!"

He darted a sideways glance, putting his sword on the boy's throat. "He was going to attack us", he stated blankly.

"But he's so young!", she replied back. "Maybe…we should try to talk to him…"

He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "You think so?"

"Yes…"

"Hmph…then go ahead", he said blankly.

"Me?", she said, looking surprised.

"Yes."

"O-okay", she said, approaching them.

"Stay far", instructed Sesshomaru. "His weapon is still at arms length"

"R-right", stammered Rin, then she frowned, gazing at the boy, who didn't look back at her, eyes staring angrily at the sky.

"Who are you?"

"…"

"Where are you from?"

"…"

"Why are you here?"

"…"

Rin repressed a sigh. "You know, if you want us to spare you…you have to collaborate a little"

Then the boy stopped staring at the sky and glared at her. "Do you really think I will collaborate with you, filthy human?", he asked spitefully.

Rin's eyes widened, not expecting the harsh answer.

"You at least got an answer to one of your questions", observed Sesshomaru. "He is obviously not from here"

"You…", started the boy, staring back at Sesshomaru. "You are a full-fledged demon and you don't look from here either", he spat back. "Why are you carrying a human around?"

Sesshomaru frowned and pushed a little on the boy's neck with his sword. "You are not in a position to ask the questions", he said icily.

The boy smirked. "What? She is your whore or something?"

Then Sesshomaru remained impassive, but pushed further on the boy's neck, drawing a bit of blood. That made Rin nervous.

"Don't push your luck, kid", retorted Sesshomaru.

"W-why…do-do you bother with a human as such? I do not understand…you look like some important demon…why bother with a mortal abomination?"

"Hmmm…You are from the Central Lands, then…", Sesshomaru mused out loud.

"How would you know? Have you ever seen someone from the Heartlands?", retorted the boy.

"Arrogant fool. You really have no idea who you are talking to…", spat back the dog demon, starting to feel blood lust.

"My lord, wait!", exclaimed Rin.

"So you're a lord?", wondered the boy, looking a bit surprised. "What, you are from the Western Lands or something?"

Rin tried to approach the boy one last time and looked at him sadly. "We want you no harm. Just tell us why you are here", she said softly.

"I do not speak to humans", he retorted arrogantly.

"Answer her", ordered Sesshomaru with contempt.

The boy remained impassive and silent.

"Please", Rin whispered. "Your life is at stake. If you help, by talking to us, we could help as well…"

The boy smirked. "Help…from you people?"

He scoffed at them. "Here is what I think from your offer…"

Before Sesshomaru or Rin could act, the boy grabbed his sword and pierced himself from the left, and then sliced his stomach until he reached his right side in one abrupt movement, blood spurting out all over him, contortions of pain and fear all over his features.

Rin's eyes widened, as everything seemed to be happening so slowly all of a sudden…Sesshomaru leaving his grasp on the boy, as she tried to reach him. She wanted to stop the blood. This was nonsense, why would he do this? But before she could reach him, the dog demon took her by the wrist and pulled her away from him.

"NOOOO! Let me go!", Rin protested, watching the blood pool all around. "He's dying!"

"Leave him be", he said in a low voice.

"No! We can't!"

"Rin…"

"Please…my lord…We have to…"

"He's dead already", Sesshomaru interrupted.

Rin's lip twitched. She saw Kireru approach the boy and crouch next to him.

"He is…", he confirmed, looking aggravated.

"Then…revive him with Tenseiga, my lord!", exclaimed Rin with a panicked tone.

He glanced at her impassively, motionless.

"Please!", she begged, eyes watering.

"Rin. He chose to die", he explained, matter-of-factly.

"No. He didn't understand, he…"

"He performed the _seppuku._", the demon lord explained. "He claimed his right to die as a warrior."

Rin stared at Sesshomaru with confusion, and then back at the dead corpse.

"…But…he was…so young…"

"Still old enough to make this choice", answered the inuyoukai, glancing back at her blankly.

"This is not right", Rin protested, tears falling on her cheeks.

"Get over it, human-girl. He was a swordsman, not some kid or pregnant woman", retorted Tatsumaki with annoyance.

"Leave her be, Tatsumaki", retorted Kireru, before glancing kindly at Rin. "I understand your pain. I personally never got used to this sight", he confessed.

"Oh come on Kireru, you are such a sissy…", spat back Tatsumaki.

"There is no point in dying. He is so young his suzerains probably didn't even know him by his name. It was a dumb choice", retorted Kireru with a frown.

"So not all demons are okay with this?", asked Rin in a whisper.

Sesshomaru crouched next to the boy, and searched for his wrist, finding a similar blue bracelet, as the one he found on one of the fighter on the ship.

"We have no other business here. Let us go", he ordered.

They all nodded and moved forward.

Rin stared one last time at the boy, while wiping a tear.

So young…She couldn't understand the urge to die…She concluded he must have been taught to think this way…She frowned…tied hair…freckles…he reminded her so much of Kohaku in a way…

Two young men…so different, yet similar…dead for very similar reasons…

…both had possibly died because of the same person…

…

The walk among the mountains wasn't so long, yet it was exhausting, because of all the hills and the roots and vegetation covering the trail. Their travels were not so cheerful since their encounter with the hooded fighters…Sesshomaru looking distant, Rin overwhelmed, the wind demoness bored out of her mind, and the fox demon thoughtful. However, after a while, the smothering heat started to recede…a fresh dry breeze blowing on them gently.

"At last", commented Kireru. "We are almost there"

"How do you know?", asked Rin absently.

"Don't you hear the sound, Lady Rin?", he inquired.

"N-no…"

"Waves", answered Sesshomaru aloofly.

"The capital is by the sea. We shall be able to glance at it soon", informed the fox demon.

"Finally!", Tatsumaki exclaimed with exasperation.

Sesshomaru glanced at her ward, not as cheerful as she should be, probably still thinking about the boy they had encountered. That was not a good thing; he needed her to be at her best for their encounter with Lady Miyah. He wasn't looking forward to this encounter, having to negotiate with a hanyou leader…he was in such an odd position… he felt like Rin's loquacious side might just be what they needed to set things right…

She seemed to notice his attention.

"Say…Lord Sesshomaru", she started, with a frown.

"Yes?"

"…What…", she sighed. "What do you think of what the boy did earlier?"

He darted a sideways glance. "You mean…killing himself as such?"

"Yes", she answered, with a guarded look. "I would like to understand why someone would do such a thing…"

He glanced at her thoughtfully, as if weighting his words.

"…Seppuku is the ultimate method employed by many warriors to cleanse irreparable sins or shame, or to avoid any form of betrayal to their master, in case their opponent tries to make them talk. This choice allowed him to stay loyal to his homeland and die in honour", he stated stoically. "The only other option available to him was to live as a craven…a traitor in exile. This choice didn't seem to appeal to him very much…"

"So, if he was from the Central Lands…he could have had a peaceful life in the Western Lands…", she continued thoughtfully.

"Not exactly. Loyalty is an important virtue for demons. Even outside his homeland, his wouldn't have been able to live with respect or dignity, unless living with humans or hanyous was an option for him."

"…And it wasn't…"

"It doesn't seem so."

"I see…I understand", Rin replied neutrally, her traits turning into a scowl.

They stayed silent for a while…

"…Rin, you aren't a warrior. You don't need to abide by these rules or agree with them", Sesshomaru explained. "However, you must understand we are no gods. There are things out of our control."

"…But…you still had the power to revive him", she felt compelled to say.

"Yes, but I had no power over his will. He obviously didn't fear death, and he only displayed hostility towards us. Compassion was not an appropriate response."

"He could have changed his mind…"

"Or he could have betrayed us, on the first occasion. He could have harmed you", Sesshomaru insisted. "Demon territories can be prone to numerous conflicts. You will witness many of those, and you will witness casualties. Some of them will seem unfair to you, and yet, most of the time you will have no say on the outcome. Warriors, or any people for that matter, will make choice beyond your control and your understanding. You have to accept that."

"Yes…I guess you are right", she said, with a sad tone. "So…on the other hand, I suppose you do not understand why his death troubles me so much?"

"I honestly don't. However, I am aware that you have a soft soul."

"And you don't mind it?"

"Of course not. But you must learn to witness these events with detachment, or else I fear a life among demons would break you, little by little", he replied earnestly.

She stared back at him with sudden interest, thinking he was very insightful, for someone who pretended he couldn't understand how she felt.

She wondered if there was a moment he already felt it too…fear and despair and the sight of someone dying…If his natural stoicism was something innate or a behaviour he had learned. She blinked…thinking the last idea was crazy, but still…

She smiled to him reassuringly and squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry Sesshomaru-sama. I will be okay", she whispered confidently.

He glanced back at her with a tad of warmness, and just nodded. It wasn't much, but she knew he was satisfied of her answer.

"Keh…you guys are so dripping with sentimentality I think I will throw up", commented the wind demoness.

"Oh shut up Tatsumaki! You're just jealous because no one likes you!", retorted Rin aggressively.

"I wouldn't want to be lovey-dovey like the both of you, eww!"

"Be quiet", warned Sesshomaru, taking out his blade, moving in quick steps, taking the first glance at the landscape below them.

Rin gasped as she caught up with him, barely aware of the beautiful blue waters smashing against steep rocks, or the pale colour of the beaches along the coast. Tall buildings made of pale, sand-like material stretched for miles, a few of them afire, packs of fighters everywhere, archers and beastlike creatures striking at the armies of hanyous.

"It looks like there are involved in a nasty fight", commented the fox-demon.

"Lady Amane's unofficial underlings again", commented the wind demoness with a smirk. "Should we raid them, my lord?"

"Hmph. You take the right side. I take the coast", he replied with a frown. "Kireru, stand back and protect Rin", ordered the demon lord.

Both vassals nodded, the wind demoness and Sesshomaru flying away in opposites direction, while the fox demon and Rin stood back.

"So…we are supposed to just stay here?", asked Rin with annoyance.

The fox-demon laughed heartily. "Ah Lady Rin, you shouldn't complain so much. Lord Sesshomaru is doing us a favour"

"I understand but…I don't like to be left behind…", she confessed. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"Just watch", he said, at the moment Sesshomaru landed on the ground below the hill, raising his sword and killing a dozen enemies at once.

"See? He enjoys this."

"Don't you feel a little useless right now? I sure wish I could help them", Rin insisted with a pout.

"And what did I say earlier? Just focus on your strength, Lady Rin, your contribution will come later…"

Rin frowned. "I am not sure about that."

"You should trust yourself more..."

Rin stared at Sesshomaru, jumping gracefully to land on a high and steep looking cliff close to the sea, to strike at flying demons. She still couldn't believe how easy it seemed to him, effortlessly killing dozens and dozens of foes in a matter of seconds. She frowned, she knew he had been powerful like that for a while, but she didn't remember he could predict so accurately the foes' every move…as if he could glance at future events before they had the chance to materialize.

"He sure is powerful", commented the fox-demon, as if reading her thoughts. "You know, in demon society, hierarchy is mostly based on purity and power of the bloodline.

"So he is among the best fighters", commented Rin.

"Pretty much the best at the moment, or else his authority would have been challenged already…I think he must have surpassed his father's brute strength …now he only needs to surpass him in wisdom", the fox said as he stared back, at the path behind them with a frown. "There will be more enemies coming soon, we should move out of the way"

Rin nodded and followed him down the steep hill. It did take much longer for them to get down, on the contrary of the others who just flew down. Rin sure wished she had brought Ah-Un.

After a while, they reached the town's level, and proceeded to find a quiet meadow, away from the chaos. Rin glanced at the tall building, hearing some faraway sounds of roars and swords clashing, but they couldn't see anything from the fight anymore.

"Here they come. Do not make a sound", instructed the fox demon.

They both glanced at the path coming from the hill, and Rin had to refrain a gasp of terror as she saw not one, or two…or even three…There were four stony snakes crawling down the hill in slow and frightening movements. Four! It would be tricky even for Sesshomaru to fight against four of those at once…And with only her, weapon less and Kireru…Rin supposed fox demons can be smart, but were not the most powerful foes. She saw him hold tightly his sword…which may be sharp, yet narrow and light…she wondered if the thing would break if he struck one of their hard scales…

Two of the snakes just crawled in the direction of the city, but two others started to sniff at the meadow, as if they had detected something. Rin stopped breathing even though she could feel terror and febricity take over, her heartbeat accelerating in anticipation for what was yet to come.

They sniffed and continued to approach, the fox demon staring back and forth nervously, towards the snakes and the towards the city, apparently in search for some brilliant solution…but the snakes were only coming closer, and Rin felt they were done…Kireru glanced back at her, with a frown, and whispered, so low Rin had to read on his lips.

"I will distract them. You…run towards the town…take the eastern entrance", he whispered, pointing her the closest gates. "You can run and hide in the alleys."

Rin looked at the entry gates, then back at him worriedly, and nodded.

Then he took a few steps forward, then walked not so discreetly towards the hill, both of the snakes' heads rising up, but one of the them turned his head right, in Rin's direction. She gasped and hid behind a tree, praying the Kamis the thing will just stop staring and sniffing…

Kireru frowned, aware the snakes were not all very enthusiastic at the prospect of investigating the noise he was doing. He took a sharp rock and threw it at the head of the beast staring in Rin's direction and got out of his hiding spot, both the reptiles glancing at him at the same time. Afterwards he just stayed there, still as a stone, sword in hand, the one that had been hit approaching him with frustration. Rin took a deep breath and removed her zoris slowly…

Then she saw the fox nod, as if giving her the cue to leave, and he charged at one of the beasts. Rin's eyes widened in worry, but she just looked away and ran as fast as she could, wincing as she felt pain, burning sharp stones covering the way, and her knee burning as well because of the stitches. It certainly wasn't a pleasant experience, but she kept going, and reached the gates swiftly, never looking back.

She gasped in bewilderment, suddenly understanding what Kireru meant about being able to hide in the alleys…the town was a real labyrinth, tall buildings made of sand-looking material, the midday sun making them so look so pale they partly blinded her! She put back on her zoris to protect her feet of the burning ground, and walked carefully in random directions, trying to stay away from the sounds of combats. She crossed her arms nervously…she was alone, defenceless, in a strange city of a foreign nation…it was sure unsettling…She kept walking…feeling her breath and heartbeat slowing down, the town dreadfully silent. She walked alongside the walls, hoping she would not be noticed, and found one very narrow and dark alley, completely deserted. She hid there for a while, looking around worriedly, but it was very quiet, so she just sat down, held her legs in a protective manner, and laid her forehead on her knees, for an uncertain period of time. She had the impression that her vision was just so affected by the high walls and the darkness that her hearing would be her best asset at the moment. For a while, she only heard the sound of a summer breeze and sand being blown swiftly against the walls, and she started to relax…

But then, she frowned, hearing something…so faint yet it sounded like something…was…rubbing against rough material…as if this thing was crawling?

Rin gasped in panic and glanced up nervously, looked to her left, and right, but saw nothing. She laid her head against the wall, in hopes the spine-chilling sound would leave, but the very faint noise only seemed to become louder, and louder…and louder…

She stared in every direction, and saw nothing…She felt terror take over her body again. She couldn't control her fear anymore, she needed to move, so she just stood up…and then it struck her.

The sound came from above her!

She stared up and came face to face with a snake demon, hanging from the high walls, his fangs only a few feet away from her. The thing opened its mouth, Rin's eyes widening.

Then she screamed with all the might of her lungs and ran as fast as she could. She reached crossroads on the main path, glanced left, saw another snake crawling speedily in her directions. …glanced right, and saw…two other snakes demons standing there, staring at her…in front of her there was simply no way to escape, high walls impossible to climb.

The four snakes surrounded her!

"SESSSHOMARU-SAMAAAAAAAAA!", she screamed in despair, trying to get away from the snake to her left that was crawling dangerously quickly in her direction. The beast erected, showed its fangs in a hostile fashion and charged at her.

And then, a figure fell from the sky, and struck its blade at the snake's fangs. Rin recognized Kireru.

"RUN!", he yelled as he tried to keep the thing at bay, but the snake looked very interested by the human girl and let go of the fox's blade, staring back at her. Kireru struck at the beast again, forcing it to look at him for a few more seconds.

Rin ran as fast as she could, passing by the vassal, never looking at the beast that she knew had great interest in her. She heard the sound of many hisses behind her and she prayed the vassal would be okay. Then at the next crossroads, she turned left in a very dark path to shake off the scaly pursuers. But as soon as she had turned the corner, she felt a strong hand take her arm and pull her against the wall, before she had the chance to glance at the attacker. When she was about the scream, she felt an index finger on her lips.

"Rin, be quiet, it's me", whispered Sesshomaru, with a frown she couldn't see, his facial features hidden in the dark.

Rin's eyes widened, the alley was so dark that she hadn't recognized him. She wanted to cry from relief, feeling him loosening his grasp as her muscles relaxed.

"Have I heard the sound of a snake?", he inquired in a murmur.

"No…four of them", Rin whispered back, trying to calm her heavy breathing.

"Four?", he asked again, unbelieving.

"Please, you have to aid Kireru! He's fighting them alone!", she exclaimed anxiously.

He frowned. "Stay here. Do not talk. Do not move."

"Still as a stone", she assured.

She saw his head nod and he walked away, she recognized him as soon as he got away from the alley, his white garments slightly soiled with blood from foes, hair a bit dishevelled. He unsheathed his sword and ran away, towards the hubbub. Rin wanted to move forward and see what he was doing, but she knew the snakes might spot her if she did so, so she did as she promised, and remained still as a stone.

One first powerful roar seemed to confirm one of the scaly snakes was down. A few minutes later, she heard another scream of agony.

And then, in an alley facing hers, Rin saw Tatsumaki come out, bloody all over. Rin saw her stare in her direction, but the wind demoness made no attempt to approach her. She simply reached the crossroads and seemed to stare quietly at the fight, Rin realizing the wind demoness, even though she looked pretty nonchalant, must be staying there to make sure no snake would come in her direction.

Then Rin laid her back against the wall and sighed in relief…feeling as if the situation was under control again, but then she had the feeling the fight was approaching…sounds of hisses and clashing swords becoming more prominent, but she wasn't sure. She glanced in Tatsumaki's direction, the wind demoness staring at the sky, and then she saw her red eyes widen.

"RIN MOVE!", she screamed.

But before Rin could do anything else, she heard a ghastly hiss and saw a silhouette seemingly fall next to her. And then she just blinked and saw what seemed like Sesshomaru to her side, blade clashing against the beast's huge fangs.

Rin fell the demoness' hands take her by the collar and pull her away from the alley.

"You stupid, leave him some space!", she exclaimed.

Rin glanced back worriedly at the alley. "I couldn't see anything! What is going on?!"

"Don't fuss around, he will manage", retorted Tatsumaki with annoyance.

Then Rin noticed Kireru walk in their direction, trying to catch his breath, he was bloody too…and it wasn't just the blood from his foes.

"Will you be okay?", Rin asked worriedly.

He never answered. Still breathing heavily, green eyes staring at something behind the two women. Rin glanced back, to search for the source of his attention, and gasped as she saw what it was.

Another snake…the fourth one.

"Oh geez…great!", the wind demoness exclaimed, grasping at her lance.

She ran in the beast's direction to strike at it first, but then a white wolf figure got out of nowhere and bit at the snake's neck, the creature hissing and screaming and shaking its head in an attempt to pull away from the furry's creature wrath.

Then Sesshomaru got out of the alley, bloodier than before and ran in the last snake's direction, jumping high and piercing it in its mouth in a swift movement. The beast roared and agony and fell limply on the ground, making a huge cloud of sand and dust rise from the ground and cover them for a brief moment.

Sesshomaru landed gracefully on the ground, trying to brush away the sand from his bloody garments, Rin running in his direction. She noticed one of his sleeves was heavily soiled.

"My lord, have you been bitten?", she asked worriedly.

"Don't bother, I am fine", he retorted calmly, glancing at the white beast, not sheathing his sword.

Rin stared back, and saw the wolf glance at them with only one turquoise eye, the other one hidden with intricate pieces of fabric held by a headband, the creature apparently blind in one eye.

"What is it? A wolf demon?", wondered Rin.

"…Hmph…"

"This is Lady Miyah", announced Kireru. "My Lady, we come in peace", he said, bowing.

The beast glanced at the fox and reverted back to a human-like shape, to reveal a tall woman, with shoulder length wavy grey hair, pointed Inu Yasha-like ears at the top of her head, tanned skin, contrasting with her pale hair and eyes. She wore a black corset, beige and burgundy wide skirts. Her attire was exotic, almost pirate-like, yet her facial expression was hard and dignified, inspiring instant respect.

"I think we have already met, fox" she commented in a monotonous voice. Then she stared back at Sesshomaru. "You must be the Lord of the Western Lands"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Lady Miyah, we have matters to discuss", he announced stoically.

The Lady glanced at Rin with curiosity, and nodded back.

"Yes, I know that. Please follow me."

…

Rin stared with fascination at the tall halls made of stone of the fancy castle. Lady Miyah was obviously wealthy; her residence might be even bigger than the Western Lands' mansion…

"I see you have a bite on the shoulder, my lord. Do you need antidote?", the she-wolf inquired monotonously.

Rin repressed a gasp and looked at Sesshomaru anxiously. She knew it couldn't only be his foe's blood…

"Unnecessary, I am immune to poison. Not him, though", replied Sesshomaru coldly, while glancing at his fox vassal.

"Oh…I see"

Lady Miyah snapped her fingers at close guards and pointed at Kireru, who was instantly taken by the shoulders and brought towards the infirmary, apparently only two doors away. The fox stared back at them doubtfully.

"Now now, two's company, three's a crowd. I don't need more demons than necessary in the same room. The red-eyed woman should go with the fox, unless she wants to stare at closed doors…", said the wolf woman coldly.

Tatsumaki looked a bit offended, but Sesshomaru just nodded at her to go, leaving only the demon lord and the human with the she-wolf.

They walked silently, until they reached two tall oak doors, similar to those of the study in Sesshomaru's mansion. They were opened swiftly, revealing a tall room with huge windows giving a gorgeous sight on the azure sea. Rin tried not to gasp, but the view was absolutely breathtaking.

"You may sit down, now. I will order us some refreshments", suggested the she-wolf.

Chairs were pulled for them, as Sesshomaru and Rin sat, the demon lord glancing at the human briefly.

"Are you injured?", he inquired with a soft voice.

"No…I am okay", Rin confirmed, troubled he got worried about her, while couldn't care less about his own wounds.

Sesshomaru frowned. "The snakes…I believe they aimed at you."

"You think so?", she asked worriedly.

"I am certain", he replied darkly.

Then the servants arrived with the she-wolf, who sat quickly in front of them. She cleared her throat.

"Your help from earlier was a kind discretion…though superfluous", Miyah said coolly.

"Your troops were struggling, and we didn't have all day", retorted Sesshomaru impassively, as if trying to justify his actions.

Rin tried to smile, thinking they did seem to have a very similar temper.

Then the woman stared at her with curiosity.

"Who are you?", she asked curtly.

"I am Lord Sesshomaru's ward, my lady. My name is Rin", she said with a polite smile and a bow.

"Hmm, ward? What do you mean by that? He adopted you? You are his pet or something?", she asked emotionlessly.

"Rin is here because she cooperates in different tasks for the strategic council of the Western Lands and has recently been appointed Warden of the Northern Frontiers. I will not tolerate disrespectful insinuations about her", Sesshomaru retorted icily.

"Yet she said she is your ward. Forgive my curiosity but what does that mean? What is a human doing with a youkai from the lands? What is the nature of your relation?", Miyah asked again coolly.

Sesshomaru hesitated a brief moment. "I protect her", he replied curtly.

"…If I may be so bold, I have been under Lord Sesshomaru's protection for a decade. He saved me with his sacred sword of healing Tenseiga and has protected me since. Though I lived mostly with humans, I owe him my life and have only recently started helping him with tasks regarding his lands…I hope this clarify the situation…", explained Rin with a guarded expression.

Miyah's eyebrow rose while listening to Rin, and then her eye saw the red sun pendant. "Your little tale…it is like…the song?", she pondered out loud.

Rin's eyes widened. "What, you heard about it?"

"The singer, he was here last week", replied the she-wolf. "What was it? The Sun of the Western Lands I believe?"

"No way! How is it possible he comes here, when he never came close to the mansion yet! Hugh!", exclaimed Rin with indignation.

"So that tale was based on a true story? I thought the man was just ironic with his story of the "great dog demon taking a human maiden under his wing"", Lady Miyah commented sceptically.

"Lord Sesshomaru, we will have to request to see this man!", exclaimed Rin, who had still not cooled down.

"Hmph…", he only commented, repressing a smirk. He did have his doubts as to why this wandering singer has not showed up yet; he thought it was actually a wise choice…

"Oh well…What about you, Lady Miyah? You have wolf ears, yet you can take a demon shape? Are you a hanyou or a youkai?", inquired Rin with spontaneous curiosity.

The she-wolf smirked. "That's a good question. My mother is a hanyou, yet my father is a demon, which makes me three quarters demon by blood. My mother says I have nothing human, yet most of my mortal friends and acquaintances say otherwise. Most demons I met say I am just a half-breed. Now what am I, Lady Rin? Maybe you could enlighten me…", she said with cold playfulness.

Rin blinked with uncertainty. "Well, that makes you unique, that is for sure…representative of your people, I suppose!"

"Back to the main topic. We've had reports of your people marching on my lands, Lady Miyah. I would like to hear the reasons", stated Sesshomaru coldly.

Lady Miyah smiled. "Yes, I thought this was the motive of your visitation. You are right, my lord, my merchants are marching on your lands. I hope there aren't too much of a bother…"

"I received complaints", replied Sesshomaru. "They are disturbing sea peasants."

"Yes…I received complaints as well…Your sea peasants eat my merchants once in a while, you know", she retorted with annoyance.

Sesshomaru remained impassive.

"What? Do I surprise you?", she asked with curiosity.

"I received no reports of the sort", he answered curtly.

"Well, you must have some subjects suffering from cowardice, then", she retorted bluntly. "I am afraid my people do not have much of a choice these days. The southern seas are risky because of an outburst of acts of piracy…and we won't speak of the northern seas. Not only is that detour much too long to suit our fancy, but the lords who took over this place - I don't know if there are your lords or other people's lords-…but they won't let us pass."

"The Central Lands took over the North, Lady Miyah. I was only recently informed myself…"

"We also had issues with mysterious snakes and other wildlings finding their way to our Islands…using boats I know nothing of, and landing at night, especially during thick mists…these beastly creatures have eaten their fare share of my guards already…So you see, your peasants complaining because of their squished grass is the least of my worries right now", she informed nonchalantly.

Rin blinked, thinking this Lady was quite straightforward, compared to Lady Amane, not the least ashamed to talk about her faults and problems, but then again, if she has nothing to reproach herself, Rin supposed it was only normal she would speak so openly about her own issues…

"Have you been aware some warriors from the Central Lands have been roaming on your Islands?", inquired Sesshomaru, dropping the two blue bracelets on the table. "The wildlings you spoke of are native tribes from the Heartlands as well"

Lady Miyah raised an eyebrow.

"So you say all the invaders come from the same place, my lord?", she inquired curiously.

"For a ruler, I find that you aren't well informed about the situation of the outside world", Sesshomaru commented icily.

"We are well informed about the state of the free sea, but not so much about demon lands", Lady Miyah answered with a frown. "You must be aware of our neutrality policy…Us people of Kun'Ketsu do not search the full fledged's company. We try to stay away from youkais from the lands as much as possible, for we know we have nothing to earn from you."

"You did earn precious reinforcements and information from us today", Sesshomaru retorted, raising a daring eyebrow.

"The hand was surely appreciated. You demons like to fight a lot. But your information is of no use to me. Whatever you want, I will not give.", she retorted dryly.

"Why is that?", asked Sesshomaru dryly.

"Your father must have told you. I can talk with demons once in a while, I can even befriend demons if I must, but I shall not negotiate with the likes of you", she retorted icily.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "This is your only reason? Discrimination based on blood?"

Miyah laughed. "You are a demon yourself, you should know quite a lot about discriminating beings based on their kind"

Sesshomaru frowned.

"Now let's be honest here. What is she?", she asked dryly, while pointing at Rin. "A random actress that is supposed to make me believe you are friendly towards mortals? Or she is just your bed slave, maybe?"

"No! What we said earlier is true!", replied Rin with a frown, thinking this conversation was growing a little bit too hostile for her likings.

"Am I supposed to believe your little masquerade inspired on a song to amuse the people? I thought demons' ruses were more sophisticated than that", Lady Miyah spat back.

"Indeed, we could have bothered with a smarter tale…if we were lying, that is", retorted Sesshomaru with annoyance.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I haven't heard much about you in the past years…What I did hear though, is that you only exercised true leadership on your lands for a very short period of time, about a decade, and that the rest of your reign was done with great lack of interest, because you were in search of personal power or whatsoever. Aside from that, people say that you are of a great cruelty, killing whoever stands in your way and that you are the last demon on this world anyone would want to encounter, because you give no value to life…in any form, for that matter. With such a reputation, I find it hard to believe you would bother with a human, unless it is for a darker purpose…", Lady Miyah explained with scepticism.

"My Lady, you must know the Inu bloodline is not the most hostile to humans", commented Rin boldly. "I could give you plenty of examples demonstrating they can be just to any specie."

Sesshomaru frowned, not liking the direction this discussion was going.

"Go ahead, little girl. We'll see how well a bed warmer can repeat the text she has learned by heart", Lady Miyah said with a frown.

Rin frowned back, and tried hard not to take it personally. Sesshomaru rested a hand unconsciously on the hilt of Bakusaiga, while trying to remain calm.

"I know for a fact Inu Taisho displayed no useless cruelty towards humans. He fell in love with one and I am acquainted with their son. Inu Taisho left him quite a powerful blade in inheritance."

"Yes, yes, I have heard of that story…However, I don't remember Inu Taisho being so fond of humans when he came to see me personally, he hadn't met his human woman back then", retorted the she-wolf. "He did say he respected mortals, but I was under the impression it was simple hypocrisy to serve his interests. He just wanted my boats to defeat the feline sailors... He certainly didn't bother doing a show with a human in an attempt to demonstrate he likes them, like your precious lord here…", Miyah commented with wisps of mockery.

Sesshomaru's jaw tensed. Rin felt sweat form on her temples, and didn't dare stare back at Sesshomaru, but she swore she could feel the heat of seething rage emanating from him. The tension was palpable.

"Well…hum…You know, there are plenty of examples demonstrating that Sesshomaru is fair to humans as well", counter-attacked Rin, thinking that it was best to leave any matters relating to Sesshomaru's father. "You know Lord Sesshomaru fought next to his hanyou half brother and his human companions when Naraku tried to take control of the Shikon no Tama."

"I heard a human woman destroyed it", commented Miyah dryly.

"Yes…but Sesshomaru helped them in their quest. He even helped his hanyou half-brother become stronger, teaching him a very powerful attack."

Sesshomaru frowned…knowing very well this had not been done willingly…still regretting today that he had to pass the Meido Zangetsuha to his poor excuse of a brother.

"He did save me too, with Tenseiga, like I said before…", added Rin, thoughtfully holding her chin.

"Yeah about that, maybe Lord Sesshomaru could enlighten us with his motivations", Lady Miyah added sceptically.

Sesshomaru frowned. There were many reasons: the will to test Tenseiga, curiosity towards the little human, and he supposed, a little bit of sympathy towards the unconditionally generous human…but there was no way he was going to say that.

"He did so because he has a kind heart!", exclaimed Rin with indignation.

Sesshomaru couldn't help but dart a sideways glance charged with irritation towards his ward. Maybe he should have spoken on his own…He so hated when people started to speculate falsely on his motivations like that. The she-wolf noticed his annoyance.

"A kind…heart? Really? Funny way to talk about a pure blood. Tell me more about it", she replied, with amusement.

"I recently lost friends to snake demons…He comforted me. He is helping me become a stronger person too", Rin answered honestly.

"To be able to comfort, a person must be able to feel compassion", commented Miyah sceptically.

"He does understand compassion very well. He told me", Rin said quickly.

Sesshomaru dropped gently his glass on the table, at that moment he swore mentally not to tell her anything remotely sentimental ever again, his pride bleeding heavily at the moment.

"He does seem to have a soft spot for you, for some reason, but do you think he would have done the same for other humans?", inquired Lady Miyah.

"Of course! He warned me of an attack targeted at the village I lived in for years, so I could warn my friends. Also, he gave special weapons to humans harbouring his southern frontiers, to help them defeat snake demons…"

Sesshomaru rose an eyebrow. How the hell did she know that? He hadn't even reported that information during the last council's meeting…He didn't want them to know he had actually agreed to a partnership with humans…

That information intrigued Lady Miyah too, her eye widening a little, and then she stared back at Sesshomaru.

"You helped humans? Why?"

"They were fighting and marching on my frontiers. It was the most simple way to make them leave for good", he explained, matter-of-factly.

"And killing them never crossed your mind?", Lady Miyah asked suspiciously.

"Yes, but we have problems with the snakes as well…"

"See Lady Miyah? Sesshomaru-sama doesn't mind doing deals with humans, if he has a good reason to do so! The snakes are a bother to the Western Lands too, he was wise enough to see that just killing humans trespassing on his lands wasn't the smartest solution!", exclaimed Rin passionately.

Sesshomaru repressed a frown. There was also the very important fact that providing weapons to humans meant less battles on the southern frontiers, which was the main reason he agreed to this solution in the first place, but he felt that element was irrelevant. He noticed Lady Miyah's reaction, who had blinked a few times, as if that last piece of information had struck a nerve.

"What she says is true, my lord? You accepted to help humans before, because you were aware of the common interests you had with them?", she asked with curiosity.

He hesitated briefly. "It is an accurate way to sum it up", he replied curtly.

"And the warning to the human village. It was to serve your ward's interests I suppose?"

"Mostly, yes", he replied evasively.

"Mostly?", she insisted.

"It was to protect her interests, but in all honesty, I saw no reason to hide upcoming attacks of these tribes, even to humans."

Lady Miyah blinked, looking a little dumbfounded. "So basically…What the human says is true. It is fine by your standards to collaborate with humans, if you have a purpose to do so…"

"Exactly!", exclaimed Rin. "Sesshomaru-sama is a fair leader…Unlike Lady Amane of the Heartlands who doesn't even recognize the right to live to humans and hanyous…"

"You have evidence of that?", asked Lady Miyah neutrally. "The Heartlands had no access to the coast before, I don't know them at all…"

"I suppose you could find written proof if you checked their rules… She said it herself, in front of me…She was having problems taking care of the "hanyou proliferation issue" on her territory! She asked Lord Sesshomaru if he had any plans to solve this problem on his own lands…"

Sesshomaru glanced at his ward, satisfied she reminded the she-wolf of that detail. He felt uneasy at the prospect of being one warning a hanyou of his own kind's unnecessary purity policy. Rin avoided him that unpleasant task…

"I was told the Western Lands do not have rules involving chasing or killing hanyous", Lady Miyah said in a low voice.

"We do not get involved in marital affairs, and we do not automatically intervene when foreigners cross the borders. It depends of their motives", Sesshomaru replied, matter-of-factly.

"So I wasn't mistaken…"

"No. But you have to understand my people think it risky to let a great number of your kinds on their fiefs, especially considering the fact that we have issues with the Central Lands as well. They fear traitors and spies…", counter-attacked Sesshomaru.

Lady Miyah stared at him for a while, with her single turquoise eye, and cleared her throat.

"I suppose you did not come all the way up here only to ask me to keep my people away from your lands. You want something from me?"

"Yes."

"But you know that we have a neutrality policy. An agreement with you would put me at odds with other lands and empires…"

"From what I know, aside from the Western Lands, there is only one other sovereign territory left, and its wildings are already magically finding their way through the ocean to attack you", retorted Sesshomaru.

"Even if I wanted, I don't think I could get past our neutrality policy so easily, my lord. My people will oppose. Our human partners might see this wrongly too…if you aren't as kind with them as your human ward pretends…", Lady Miyah explained cautiously.

"It seems to me you already aren't neutral anymore. The Heartlands are sending their wildings on you, similarly to what they did with my lands, and human lands. You have a choice: you either side with us, the only demon territory left who have enough resources to aid you…or the Central Lands wild tribes will keep finding their way on your Islands with their brand new fleet or their flying demons to destroy you..little by little", retorted Sesshomaru with cold defiance.

Lady Miyah scrubbed both of her temples in frustration, as if she had a headache about to strike.

"You will have to excuse me for a few minutes. I need to think.", she said, standing up swiftly and leaving the room.

Rin let a sigh of relief escape her lips, and then she stared worriedly at Sesshomaru. She noticed he looked suddenly very tranquil.

"My Lord…I am a little puzzled…is it going well or not? This woman is so confusing…"

"You shouldn't worry", he said casually. "She is receptive to the facts, it is going well…"

"Really? Good…", she whispered "She was a bit rude…though…calling me a bed warmer and all…"

"She was just testing our reactions. Don't take it personally."

"Okay…but…do you think I said the right things? I-I wasn't sure what to do and you seemed a little irritated, when I brought up all the stuff with the humans earlier…", she asked doubtfully.

"Your strategy of trying to demonstrate I have some sort of kind heart towards humans was unpleasant to hear, but I suppose this is the kind of things a hanyou leader wants to hear", he conceded nonchalantly. "However, I believe your tales were…overstated at times", he added, with a tad of irritation.

"What? No, I didn't lie", Rin replied candidly.

"You make me sound like a pious human protector", he retorted, looking offended.

Rin grinned. "Oh Sesshomaru-sama, you always make it seems like you are frozen through the bones, but believe it or not, you do have a kind heart…"

"Stop saying that", he ordered with irritation.

"Are you sure, my lord? I think it is a good thing that Lady Miyah was told", Rin retorted mischievously.

"Hmph…Whatever…say you want here, but I do not want to catch you talking such nonsenses on the Western Lands…", he warned.

"So…I can keep talking of your valiant exploits to Lady Miyah…?", she asked playfully.

"Yes, keep talking if you must…She seems to like your way to tell tales", he replied with a smug look.

"So…you still trust me even though my human explanations of past events badly hurts your pride?", Rin asked with innocent eyes.

"Of course, Rin. Do you think your little tales would change that? You have my entire trust", he replied earnestly, with a piercing gaze.

She blushed and looked baffled for a moment. He wondered if what he thought was only a genuine comment was more important to her than he had anticipated. But then again, it was true; she was among the rare people who had earned his trust. Aside from Jaken, he knew of no other people completely devoid of secret agenda. He knew she was there because of him, and not because of his status, his lands or his power, and for this he was glad. He was glad to have someone that was there mostly because of her attachment and altruism, rather than greed for power or self-interest.

From day one, her intentions towards him had been pure, and this was probably what made her the most precious companion. She still had a lot to learn, but he thought this trait could potentially make her become one of his most precious advisors.

Then Lady Miyah got back inside, and sat back down, and took a few seconds to brush strands of hair in front of her good eye, in a relaxed fashion contrasting with the one she had previously.

"You know…I did hear what you said, when I was away", she announced matter-of-factly, and then she smirked.

Rin gasped in indignation. "What?!"

…to be continued…

A/N:

Meh…I feel like I know what you are about to say…Depending of the personal interests of the reader, it will be something like: WHAT?! Not another brute ending!? or WHAT?! Only that?! Where is the lemony goodness?!

Yeah well…I was busy cooking meat pies, gingerbread and fighting evil last-minute shoppers like me in the outside world, okay?! The good news is that I survived, at least -_-

Aside from my usual expressive comments…some element of information…

-Though this story has many historical or cultural inaccuracies, the boy dying in the first part of the chapter is based on a real phenomenon performed by samurais.

-Lady Miyah's look is greatly inspired (read: copied) of Nailah, a character from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, if any gamer out there was wondering…

And yeah, you are free to share your frustrations in a review! If you feel kind and supportive even though I am such a tease, I will surely find a way to finish the last part before the end of the year. In case you haven't guessed already, the last part is the icing on the cake XD

Until then…

Merry Christmas everyone!

Comments to anonymous reviews:

Jj: Rin, the key to the alliance? Yeah well…who knows, the conversation is not over yet, right? ;) Thanks for the comment!

Guest: Kagome involved? Hmm, I haven't thought of that…we'll see! Thanks for the comment!

Kat: Hahaha, there is always someone in there to point out the naughty parts! Thanks for the review!

Guest2: I'm glad you think last chapter was balanced, I like to mix a bit of everything for everyone :) Thanks for the review!

Mteagle128: Thank you! We sure saw Rin had some potential last chapter, let's see how it will turn out! Thanks for the review!

Irina: Ahhh tiens le premier commentaire laissé en français, je me demandais justement pourquoi il n'y en avait pas eu plus tôt! Je suis contente que tu aies aimé Quête pour l'immortalité, celle-ci y ressemble certainement, je m'ennuyais de l'aventure à l'époque féodale. Merci pour tes compliments et ton commentaire!

L.M.T.O.P: Thank you, I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story as well! Thanks for the feedback!

Gingersnaps: Yes, Sesshomaru isn't ashamed of her, we'll see how it turns out as time goes by, right ;) I do hope the lack of action didn't disappoint you too much, but yeah, updating in time for Christmas had a price, alas X) I am glad you like the overall story though! Thanks for the loyal reviews!

Ana: Ahh I'm sorry if you suffered from sleep deprivation because of this story. You read it all in one shot? It's so long already, it probably took hours to go through! I'm happy you like it! Thanks for the feedback!


	14. Lady Witness (part 2)

A/N: Well hello, I am back already. I hope the harvest of gifts and calories was good this year, for those who celebrate our annual holidays of consuming! Mine was reasonably satisfying until now.

So, there are some steamy parts in this chapter…quite a lot of them, actually. I kept thinking that I should just delete some parts, there is at least one of them that is completely unnecessary for the story, but then I thought…meh…it's written already…

Steamy parts will be punctuated with little "x" to separate them from the other sections without steaminess, so you may chose to skip if that is not your thing.

Enjoy!

Chapter 14: Lady Witness (part 2)

Lady Miyah got back inside, sat back down, and took a few seconds to brush strands of hair in front of her good eye, in a relaxed fashion, contrasting with the one she had previously.

"You know…I did hear what you said, when I was away", she announced matter-of-factly.

Rin gasped in indignation. "Wh-what?!"

"You said you wished to have time for reflection, not for snooping", Sesshomaru commented, with annoyance.

"I had already made up my mind before I left", she retorted. "This was a small ruse of mine to test your honesty"

"People openly talk about their bad intentions, knowing anyone could hear?", Sesshomaru asked sceptically.

"You have no idea how many people I caught trying to deceive me this way", she replied smugly.

"And what did you find out that was so interesting to spy on?", retorted Sesshomaru with wisps of irritation.

The she-wolf shrugged. "Alas, not much, except some demonstrations of your demon pride, my lord. It only confirms what I already know about both of your kinds…"

"What do you mean by that?", asked Rin with a frown.

The she-wolf smirked. "That truth always comes out of the mortals' mouths first, of course!"

"Do you imply demons always lie?", asked Sesshomaru with annoyance.

"Not always, but the most precious information is in the way you behave, rather than in the words you say", she retorted dryly. "You think I was such an idiot, not knowing what is going on in the outside world? You personally haven't learned me much. I am aware the Central Lands conquered the North and are after my Islands, and I know you do not get along that well with the Heartlands dynasty, you've been at it for centuries, it was one of the reason Inu Taisho came to me in the first place!"

Sesshomaru gasped a bit, baffled by the revelation, and heard Rin do the same.

"I don't understand your allegations about my father. He came to you with the purpose to strengthen the Western Sea because of numerous attacks lead by the water cats, it had nothing to do with the Central Lands…", he responded dubitably.

"Well…of course, he wanted to find allies to get rid of the cats you were at war with, but one of the reasons he came to me was to avoid a coalition with the Heartlands. In the end, he had no choice but to negotiate with his rival, because I refused his offer…", she explained coldly.

Sesshomaru frowned; he hadn't known his father had sought an alliance with Kun'Ketsu for this reason. He felt a bit uneasy at the prospect that this foreign leader knows more about Inu Taisho's past intentions than him.

"Hmph…why did you even bother listening to me then, if everything I said is old news?", Sesshomaru asked with scepticism.

"To test you of course. I wanted to see if you would speak the truth right away…", she replied, matter-of-factly.

"…Hmph"

Sesshomaru smirked. Of course…Lady Miyah had tricked them in making them believe she wasn't well aware of her own situation. He frowned…he could have guessed that on his own…he had done it himself to test Lady Amane's honesty at the wedding…It was one of the world's oldest trick. He found back his cold composure, even though he felt like a fool…

"Everything we said is the truth…we have nothing to feel guilty about", Rin commented with a frown.

"I am almost affirmative you personally didn't lie, Lady Rin, but your lord, he didn't expect you to be so open. He was hoping his demonstration of facts about the Heartlands' minions would be enough to impress me, without having to speak of his relations to humans, because he must care for his overall image…He may not have lied, but he was ready to leave out many relevant information because of his demon pride", she explained neutrally. "Not only that, but facts are not enough for me. I need to have information about the worthiness of the prospective ally. So you see, your lord would have failed for two reasons, if he had been on his own…"

Sesshomaru just frowned, openly irritated. Lady Miyah smiled coolly.

"In fact, my lord, your little frustrations at Lady Rin's explanations of your personal motivations were much more relevant than anything else you said. I knew for a fact that she had brought up sensitive topics. Your reactions also allowed me to confirm you hadn't trained her for some darker purposes. If she would have said something you expected, you would have kept your cool demeanour", Miyah retorted with a look full of personal satisfaction, then she returned to seriousness. "However, it is true that the Heartlands are a mystery to me, when it comes to their functioning. They had no coasts before; my merchants never had any reasons to cross their lands. I am a bit surprised the precisions about their rules on hanyous came from Rin's mouth, rather than yours. However, I do not mind, I trust her more than I can trust a demon", she commented thoughtfully.

"So what shall it be, then? If my word has no worth to you, I doubt we can trust each other enough to negotiate", Sesshomaru retorted sceptically.

Lady Miyah shook her head in amusement and crossed her arms in a thoughtful manner. "You shouldn't take my observations for reproaches, my lord. You may have left out a few things to serve your personal tastes, but Lady Rin is right: you did not lie. In fact, you admitted to an alliance with humans and even accepted to give precisions about your motivations and reasoning."

He raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't stoop so low as to consciously lie about facts, only to serve my pride", he spat back coldly.

The she-wolf smiled mysteriously. "Well…your honesty about facts you didn't want to talk about was almost as useful as your frowns at your pretty ward. You see…when I asked your father if a pact with us was a mean for him to attack the cats and attain power that would allow him to surpass the Heartlands, he denied everything. Apparently, he preferred to lie, rather than disclaim the less honourable part of his offer…and this is exactly why your father never had a chance with me."

Rin gasped, while Sesshomaru blinked doubtfully. "This is the primary reason, why you never accepted an alliance?"

"…His lie would have had for consequence to embark us in a political game we weren't interested in. He wanted to make me believe the sea was his only interest, when in truth, he wished for a coalition that would have confirmed his own supremacy over other demon lands. Do you really think a neutral hanyou nation wanted to participate to such a pompous project? On the long term, it would have been awfully harmful for Ken'Ketsu to agree to this, considering the other nations, such as the South and the East, had good relations with the Central Lands …"

Sesshomaru frowned…that didn't sound like his father… He had always seen Inu Taisho as a powerful and unifying character. Could he really have lied to serve such greedy purposes, or was it only a poor strategic choice, a mere mistake during the negotiations? Has Inu Taisho already been that desperate in his attempts at surpassing the Heartlands' power? Now he was intrigued, he took note to investigate later…

The only thing that looked certain to him at the moment was that this she-wolf wasn't the insane character depicted by his mother and some of his vassals. His father had always been depicted as a very wise ruler. If Lady Miyah had succeeded seeing through him, it meant not only that her cleverness could surpass his father's, but also that she is not someone to mess around with. He was glad he had worked along with Rin's revelations about the pact with humans, or else, he certainly would have failed for good…

"Well, I may sound a bit shallow here, but I still think your manners were a bit rude. Everything you say seem to confirm you are very well aware we have nothing bad to hide, yet you heard things that were meant to be private", Rin commented, looking a bit offended.

"Do not say private things inside of a stranger's house, Lady Rin, never", advised Lady Miyah with a small smile. "About private content I wasn't supposed to hear, I got curious over your motivations Sesshomaru. Why do you trust your young human advisor so much?", inquired the she-wolf with curiosity. "I personally dearly trust humans, but I thought it was the opposite for purebloods…"

Sesshomaru seemed to be taken aback by the question. "Why are you even asking…if what demons say is pointless chatter to you?", he inquired sardonically.

"Even though you are a demon, you do seem to have some honesty in you and I like to know whom I deal with", she replied matter-of-factly.

Sesshomaru frowned and crossed his arms, while staring at her. He had his fare share of revelations for one day.

"What you are asking for is none of your business. The reasons justifying my trust towards Rin are private, and you do need to know them to make up your mind", he retorted impassively.

"You truly despise opening up, I see. Too bad, I was truly hoping we could develop some affinities here", Lady Miyah commented, with a small smile, then she sighed. "It doesn't matter. I may have only one eye, but I am usually pretty accurate at identifying deceivers. I don't think that you are. I may need to corroborate some of the information you have given me about the Heartlands, but it doesn't prevent us to move forward for now…I will negotiate with you Sesshomaru…."

"Good", he said curtly.

"I still have some difficulty to comprehend why you'd rather not arrive to an agreement with the purebloods of the Heartlands. Direct confrontations with them would be risky for the Western Lands, shouldn't you do your utmost to avoid that?"

"I shall not negotiate with demons who try to hierarchize unjustly", Sesshomaru retorted dryly.

"Fair enough. But you do are aware that teaming with hanyous might anger them…", she responded, raising a daring eyebrow.

"I wouldn't bother protecting the coast if we were in the best of terms", he retorted curtly, Rin looking at him worriedly.

"Fine, you seem determined, I can see that. Let's get to business. What do you want from me?", she asked.

"I want the Western Coast to be secure, but we have no expertise at this", he answered straightforwardly. "I need a defensive fleet, the sailors too."

"We do have a lot of boats. I suppose we could arrange something. Maybe around ten ships and their crew…for a year or two…but I would certainly be pleased if I didn't have to use so many men of my own fleets to explore for safe commercial routes. If you gave us a safe way to human lands…it could work out between us…"

Sesshomaru frowned. "You are asking for a highway of human and hanyou merchants?"

"Yes, that would be most helpful", she said. "And I'm also wondering if you could spare a few warriors. Our fleets are powerful, yet imperfect to kill flying enemies: we lack land fighters. Your youkais would certainly be useful to secure our lands…"

"You are asking for a lot. My vassals will not like", he commented sceptically.

"But in the end, you must be like me, right? You are the only one making the important decisions?", she replied with a sly smile.

"I never said it can't be arranged…However, it will cost you", Sesshomaru warned.

"How much?"

"I want a fleet twice the size. You start your collaboration with us to watch over the entire coast by the next new moon, for a decade. First five years for safety, the last five is to share necessary expertise to take over half of the fleet as our own."

"Oh…you are asking for a long term relationship here", she commented, her eye widening. "And quite a lot of my boats too…I am not sure I can afford that."

"What else can you afford, Lady Miyah? You either keep fighting the wildlings, or you accept the deal", he retorted dryly.

Rin blinked at his firmness, and stared back at the she-wolf, wondering how she would react to the ultimatum. She had no idea how to evaluate Sesshomaru and Lady Miyah's negotiating skills, but it sure was entertaining to follow.

The she-wolf frowned and sighed, thinking for a long while before speaking up. "Well… I suppose such a deal with demons would reassure our people. I do have a lot of problem with immigration lately. However, if I am to commit, it should be long enough for my people to feel safe raising their families here…"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"What I mean is for a permanent alliance, Lord Sesshomaru. It is what your father wanted when he came to me, but the context was very different and as I said earlier, I didn't trust him. Not only did he lie, but he also pretended he cared for other species, but he had nothing to prove it", remembered Lady Miyah with wisps of spite, and then her features lightened up. "Your style is different. You come here with a human advisor with a seat on your decisional council, which is tarnishing your image of proud pure-blooded demon, and you let her speak so freely I could have mistaken her for your consort, if only she had been a demon. I truly didn't expect that…"

Rin felt her face whiten. Did Lady Miyah really just call her that?! Where did that come from? She didn't look like a suitable consort at all…her dress was full of creases and sand, she had an odd walk because of the stitches, and had no idea how to behave at all. She was all the opposite of the actual Lady of the Western Lands, who always knew what to do and what to say, walking so gracefully she looked like she was floating over the ground, immaculate and perfect at any hour of the day…

Rin stared back at Sesshomaru, who was already gazing at her, discreetly scratching his eyebrow. What now? He thought it was amusing?! Shouldn't he be insulted or something?

"Some would say I wasn't given much of a choice to behave as such, you are not known to negotiate with demons…", Sesshomaru finally replied evasively.

"You made a choice. You chose to overcome demon obstinacy for your duty and your people. I don't think all youkais are lucid enough to do the same", Miyah insisted with a frown. "However, if you are committed to protect your lands and that you need my help, I require safeguards. A permanent alliance, with a permanent army from you would be most precious."

"If I am the one watching over the safety of your Islands permanently, some people may question your sovereignty…", he replied, raising a daring eyebrow. "They might even say you capitulated to a demon…"

"I am like you, Sesshomaru, I think about my duty, here. You saw it yourself; the foreign wildings set houses afire and kill our young. As long as a hostile empire holds the north, my Islands are at risks, even with the best fleet… We are merchants, we don't know much about wars, especially on lands, and the situation unsettles us. Safeguards like this would give a lift to my people. With permanent protection, I solve my short-term problems and any other outbreaks that might occur in the future…"

Now it was Sesshomaru's turn to think before speaking. He hadn't anticipated this hanyou woman would be so eager to give away power…But controlling the Western seas on the long term did sound appealing…He did have the resources to sustain such new powers and responsibilities, yet he had to impose his own terms to call it a success…

"I cannot commit to anything permanent if I do not know if your people are worthy. I need to see how they work, first. And I certainly cannot commit to a commercial route on a permanent basis", he stated thoughtfully.

"We would have taken care of the pirates in the Southern Seas already, if only I didn't have to keep my crews to fight on lands", she retorted, drinking sake with frustration.

"So you can engage on taking care of them before the next year, then?"

"If I have an army from you for my Islands, I could do it in six months."

"It still doesn't solve the duration issue", commented Sesshomaru thoughtfully.

"Let's just announce our alliance is permanent for the plebs and sign for twenty years. I will assure the coast's safety and give you the boats you requested, including their sailors over the next decade. In exchange, I want two hundred seasoned demons by next week."

"Two hundred, are you out of your mind?", Sesshomaru retorted with annoyance, startling Rin.

"A hundred and fifty", Miyah answered impassively.

"You have six Islands. A hundred is already a handful, if they are properly trained…", Sesshomaru retorted with a frown.

"You know…if we go by your terms, with my crews of 10 people per boat, we would exchange two hundred of my men for a hundred of yours, except that you have no boats for me…"

"Two hundred hanyou sailors for a hundred trained youkai warriors, including a route to human lands, allowing you for more coins and more efficient use of your men …I think I am fair here", retorted Sesshomaru.

"I need a hundred and fifty fighters", insisted Miyah.

"Then I want thirty boats, and I keep them all", Sesshomaru retorted, frowning.

"Now that escalated quickly!", she exclaimed. "Well, you can keep twenty three, if I have a hundred and seventy five men…"

"Your number could work…if I keep twenty five ships, and seventy five of my warriors will have to be recruits", he replied quickly.

Lady Miyah sighed, massaging her temples.

"Trained recruits, right?", she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yes, but they will only be ready in four moon cycles", he retorted matter-of-factly.

"Oh, fine! It's a deal…", Miyah exclaimed with exasperation. "Tomen!", she called, snapping her fingers.

A small bird-like demon opened the door and bowed. Rin thought he did look like Jaken…a little…

"Summon the scribes. We have a deal here", she announced solemnly.

The demon bowed and left, then Lady Miyah stared back at then, with a small pout.

"You know, when I woke up this morning, I didn't think I would have to manage dozens of wildlings on my capital and an alliance with a demon lord I know almost nothing of."

"You did what you must", commented Sesshomaru nonchalantly.

"I hope so", she said with wisps of doubts. "I will make my own investigations, as I said earlier…about these Heartlands. The deal will be conditional to the results of our findings. You have no problem with that?"

"I would have been concerned about your wit, if you were to sign a treaty based on facts brought up by strangers… ", Sesshomaru retorted.

Lady Miyah nodded.

"Good…I never thought I would say this…but I am under the impression we might get along, Lord Sesshomaru, even though you are a demon. I never thought I would actually deal with demons…"

He raised an eyebrow. "And I certainly never thought I would have to deal with hanyous either", he spat back dryly.

"They say open-mindedness is a virtue", she retorted nonchalantly. "However…there is one last thing…"

"What is it?"

"Your human advisor…she has to sign the treaty too. You know we are of mixed breeds. Even though she is not your Lady or anything of the sort, it would look much better if a human's name was on it…", Lady Miyah stated with a guarded expression.

"I do not mind. She did play a big part in convincing you to negotiate with a demon", retorted Sesshomaru, with half a smirk. "She can certainly sign as a witness", he suggested.

"Good, she shall be your _lady witness_ then…", she said with a wink. " Now, if you will excuse me, I will dictate the terms to my little scribes", she said, standing up.

She nodded to them and left the room. Rin stared back at Sesshomaru, with wide eyes.

"So it's done, then?"

"Almost", he said, taking the tokkuri of sake, left barely used during the discussion, and pouring two glasses.

"I know nothing of this…but it seems like a very important agreement, right?", Rin asked with curiosity.

"Very", he answered evasively.

Rin stared at the door, and whispered very softly.

"Is it a good deal?"

He looked at her with amusement through his amber eyes, giving her a full cup. She looked at it questioningly and then back at him. He raised his own, satisfaction across his features.

"To our first conquest", he announced solemnly.

Rin gasped. Now…that said it all! She grinned and banged her cup against his.

Then Lady Miyah banged the door open with parchments in hands. "Now now…already drinking to mock my poor negotiating skills?"

"Your skills aren't poor, Lady Miyah", tried to reassure Rin.

"Oh whatever", she exclaimed nonchalantly, signing what seemed like two copies of the same agreement with a bit of frustration. "Your turn, now, my lord"

Rin looked at Sesshomaru's features, as he read the terms, remaining completely impassive, until he reached the last line, corner of his lip twitching for a brief moment, ever so lightly. He shot a knowing look at Lady Miyah, signed swiftly and he slid the papers to Rin's side.

Her eyes widened a little, the papers looking all official, even though it was written so quickly. She supposed that being a witness or whatever Lady Miyah had called her was important for the agreement, so she did bother reading them all…

"Now now…with a deal as good as this. You will have to indulge me with appropriate celebrations", said Lady Miyah with a smirk, opening a small box next to her, revealing an intricate wooden pipe.

Sesshomaru looked at her doubtfully.

"Oh, come on, don't make me that face! You are young by demon standards, your pretty advisor too…", she said with a small smile, lighting up the long pipe.

"I do not smoke", he stated. That is a typical human habit, but he stopped himself before he could say it. He knew some demons had grown fond of this vice, but certainly not him, he had no time for such a futile occupation, which stank terribly at that…

"Oh come on, I thought a youkai of a more recent generation wouldn't play the superiority card over a bit of tobacco", Miyah retorted with a sly smile. "You know it is a custom on our Islands to seal the deals with a sharing of the _kiresu_…"

Sesshomaru frowned, not liking the implications of what she said. Rin didn't bother with them while she read the papers, everything looking right according to what they had agreed on…until…she reached the last line…

First to the right was signed:

_Lady Miyah _

Under her name, there was the simple identification: _Leader of the Kun'Ketsu Alliance_

Under her signature was the one of her servant called Tomen.

And then, in the middle and the left side of the parchment was a long blank space, barely filled with Sesshomaru's signature…with the indications under it:

_Lord and Lady of the Western Lands_.

Rin's eyes widened, almost spilling out her sake. She felt her heart starting to pump furiously. Then she poked at Sesshomaru's shoulder, who only bothered with a sideways glance, apparently glad to get away of Lady Miyah's unpleasant pressuring.

"My Lord…I can't…possibly sign…there!?", she whispered with panic.

"Why not?", he asked nonchalantly.

"I mean…I'm not…", she mumbled, and pointed him the title under the blank space.

Sesshomaru just smirked at her panicked feature. "Don't bother, it is merely a pun of our Lady right there…", he responded calmly, not even bothering with whispers.

"So…what do I do? I just sign it!?", Rin asked, unbelieving.

"I need a second signature", he replied indifferently.

"There cannot be unexpected consequences?", she asked, doubtful eyebrow raising high.

"You can expect my mother to whine, but aside from that, no", he retorted, barely hiding his amusement.

She looked at him hesitantly. He frowned.

"Well you can request for a correction yourself, but I personally couldn't care less", he added a bit dryly.

"O-Okay!", she whispered, giving up at her attempts at reasoning him.

So she just signed both parchments and put them in the middle of the table, in hopes to forget about what she had just done and the implications coming along. She had the terrible impression she was going to regret this. She suddenly felt very dizzy, as if she was intoxicated with bewilderment.

Then she just noticed the smell and noticed Sesshomaru was holding a pipe with doubt, Rin's eyes widened in shock.

"Hum, since when do you smoke, my lord?", she asked dubitably.

"This is the peace kiseru, Lady Rin. On these Islands, it is a tradition to smoke this to acknowledge the seriousness of the pact and slowly move towards appropriate celebrations", explained Lady Miyah with a smile.

Sesshomaru looked at his ward with wisps of doubt. "Do you want to try?", he asked.

"She has never smoked?", wondered Lady Miyah.

"Not that I know of", he answered.

"How cute! She must do it!", exclaimed the Lady with a amusement.

"Do not pressure her", he retorted with annoyance.

"No-no, it's fine, my lord. I signed this thing, I must acknowledge the pact too, right?", Rin said, taking the pipe from his hands without any hesitations. "Besides…I already smoked the kiresu", she replied smugly.

Sesshomaru shot her an offended look.

"What? I tried it in ceremonies, a few times. I never liked the taste, though", she explained with an innocent smile, taking a long puff, as if she wanted to demonstrate her knowledge.

Sesshomaru felt betrayed. This is not what he had in mind, when in had left her in a human village. He decided she was far too much at ease with nasty human habits for his likings.

Rin blew the smoke out, with a sour expression on her face. That tobacco was much stronger than anything she had tried before…damn sailors…She gave the kiseru to him. He looked at her doubtfully.

"Come on, Lord Sesshomaru!", exclaimed Lady Miyah impatiently.

Rin's eyes blinked a few times, then she understood.

"Have you already smoked, Sesshomaru-sama?", she asked innocently.

"…"

"I guess not. Many demons still consider it a filthy human habit, Lady Rin", answered the she-wolf coldly, she gazed back at Sesshomaru. "You know, signing a pact with mixed breeds come with implications. You will have to open your mind, at least a little", she added, as if wanting to add salt to the wound.

"Fine", he said dryly, snatching the kiseru from Rin's hands. "How does it work?", he asked, glancing at his ward.

Rin was so moved she almost wanted to cry; as she realized it was probably the first thing she was actually teaching Sesshomaru. She thought it was quite odd smoking was the first thing she would have to teach him, but then again, the prospect that she knew something he hadn't had never crossed her mind before.

"Men inhale it deep", answered the Lady with a smug look.

"Not too much", Rin retorted, frowning, irritated that Lady Miyah had intruded into what was supposed to be HER lesson!

"Just take your time or else you will choke. You might even want to keep it in your mouth in a while before…", Rin stopped talking, as he impatiently brought the kiseru to his lips: she supposed his male pride was at stake and he didn't want to look like a wuss.

Sesshomaru just smoked to get this over with, noticed an unpleasant taste, yet not as terrible as the smell implied, but the breathing in made his immortal and perfect lungs burn much more than expected, so he just blew it out with a barely concealed grimace. He even had to put a fist in front of his lips while he gave back the abomination to Lady Miyah, while repressing hard the urge to cough. He could deal with miasma and other demonic damnation of the air, but when it came to human inventions…apparently, he didn't have the same tolerance…

"See? You just celebrated like a human, and you survived!", exclaimed Lady Miyah with a laugh. "Let's call the main crews now, for proper festivities!"

Sesshomaru just glared dangerously at the hanyou leader, while Rin repressed a smile. She decided she didn't hate the she-wolf after all.

…

Rin stared with fascination at the quiet undulations of the sea, illuminated by a clear nightly sky. She couldn't help but wonder how it was possible that the waves had seemed so scary and threatening when she had swum in them, the night before. They looked so small and soothing right now…the sea was so calm she could see the star's shimmering on the water. She glanced briefly at them, thinking they were so shiny tonight, she thought their cool light was almost overwhelming…they were beautiful rivals to the moon…

She shook her head and stared back at the water. She changed her mind about the sea. She didn't like to swim in it during a thunderstorm, but that first experience wasn't the best. Maybe that if she tried to take a dip in calm waters, it would be nicer…

"There you are, Lady Rin", commented Lady Miyah, going out on the balcony with two cups of warm sake.

Rin stared quietly at the she-wolf, wondering why they were all so adamant to make her drink sake and smoke smothering tobacco. She wasn't the type to celebrate hard, like Inu-Yasha, Miroku or even Kohaku. Kaede had taught her to be in control and to watch over the others during parties, similarly to Kagome…but then…she wasn't at the village anymore, so she just shrugged to herself and took the cup with a smile.

"Why are you on your own like this, outside?", wondered Lady Miyah.

"Oh you know…your subjects are nice, but quite chatty, I needed some fresh air…" Rin answered earnestly. "I had quite a day…"

Lady Miyah smiled.

"I hope I didn't offend you with my questions earlier…"

"N-no…not really. I understand that the sight of a demon lord from the lands with a human must be peculiar…", answered Rin cautiously.

"Indeed it was. The little team you make is almost too good to be true. The rational demon talking smart facts, and his cute human talking emotions and the fact not _honourable_ enough for him to say…Yet never contradicting each other…You are both pretty good at your little games, you know? Have you done this often?"

Rin blushed and looked away. "N-no, not really…"

"Hmmm…well there is strong chemistry then…", thought the she-wolf out loud.

Rin just smiled shyly. "Well…we have known each other for a while. I suppose it must show…"

But apparently, the she-wolf wasn't satisfied with her explanations, staring at her doubtfully. She glanced at the stars thoughtfully, before speaking up.

"You know, I myself much prefer human lovers over demons. Humans are more genuine, spontaneous, passionate…but being mostly demon-blooded, it must affect my ways of thinking, because I sometimes find myself with a male human talking and I don't always understand how they think…"

Rin blinked anxiously, wondering why she was suddenly talking of humans and lovers. Was it really so obvious something was going on between Sesshomaru and her?

"…Aren't there moments you feel overwhelmed, because you don't understand his motivations and his behaviour? Demons and humans are different…if myself, stuck between both, still find it hard to conciliate at times, I can imagine it would be very tricky for a human like you, living with a demon from the lands… "

Rin took a small sip of her sake and stared at the sea…thinking of many things at once…the demon boy…the things Sesshomaru had said about him, and a while ago, when he had told her he couldn't take care of her in the ways she was used to…

"…I suppose it's all about…acceptance", Rin whispered mysteriously, hoping she wasn't giving out too much.

Lady Miyah smiled. "He is lucky to have you. You know…I wouldn't have listened to him if you hadn't been there…

"But…my lady, it is in your best interest to make a deal with the West", replied Rin, tilting her head in confusion.

"I know…but how am I supposed to trust cold-blooded demons? Emotional intelligence is mandatory to make honourable rulers…"

"Emotional intelligence?"

"The state of being emotionally aware and to reason accordingly. Those who have that faculty are prone to making decisions that transcend their own personal interests, because they are able to feel sympathy and compassions towards the others. This is quite rare: most purebloods will not feel these emotions spontaneously…and that makes them the worst possible allies…"

"With all due respect, I do not share that view, Lady Miyah. My own family was slayed by human bandits and I got beaten my fare share of times by villagers when I was on my own, yet I was saved numerous times by a demon. I believe the goodness of beings has no link with their blood", replied Rin with a frown.

"I've never said demons can't be good, however they aren't inborn sentimental like humans. They are capable to feel emotions…but it is much harder for them: they need to learn them one by one. Then, learn to acknowledge them…It was hard for me, even though I am not a pureblood and that I am raised with humans. Imagine for demons who are taught that emotions are weaknesses to be supressed…", she explained, matter-of-factly. "So you see…this is why you certainly are more influential than you think. Unlike what I was told, your lord behaves as if he weights the pros and cons, before taking human lives. He might argue he has practical reasons about his deal with humans, but I know for a fact it wasn't the easiest solution for him, even if he shares common enemies with them. He is more sensitive than he seems. I can only assume you have influenced his ways of thinking…"

Rin only answered with a frown. She already knew she had an influence on Sesshomaru's reasoning, he had admitted some bits of it, and other bits came from Jaken…but she wondered how big was that influence …She didn't believe she learned him emotions…he had them inside of him already…he just didn't know how to express them, or accept them…

She felt tads of sadness, wondering if she will live long enough to witness him feel…She sighed and drank sake, not wanting to think anymore. Sensing her uneasiness, the she-wolf felt the urge to speak.

"You know, I may have only one eye, but it's quite obvious to me he is acutely emotionally-aware when you are concerned…"

"What do you mean by that?", asked Rin incredulously, small blush creeping up.

Lady Miyah raised an eyebrow. "I was talking about the fact that you are in love with each other. He knows it", she spat a bit bluntly, finishing her drink.

Rin suddenly felt dizzy. "Your…eye…saw that?"

"I think even a blind or a deaf would notice", the she-wolf retorted with a frown. "The way you both look and talk to each other leaves no questioning…"

"But…he…", Rin whispered, not finishing her sentence.

_He said he couldn't love me…This is what he meant, when he said that involvements with demons were "emotionally detached"…_

"What? Can't you see it? He even makes you sign as his lady…", Lady Miyah continued with a smirk.

That again…Rin felt uneasy, as that thought crossed her mind.

"He said it was pun", Rin retorted blankly.

Lady Miyah laughed.

"Yes, of course, it was such a good pun he left it on the sheet!"

Rin just blushed, not knowing what to say.

"You know Lady Rin…there is at least a bit of truth in most jokes. He didn't even look offended when he saw the agreement. If I wouldn't know better, I'd say he was quite amused…as if he may have considered that option already…"

Rin glanced down, feeling confused. Barely two weeks before, she was just a mere human ward, flower girl, "back up lady" in case Sesshomaru's escort didn't show up. Then she got appointed Warden of a place unknown to her, and now she in the running to be the next Lady of the West?! That was too much to be true. Rin shook her head, finished her cup and dropped it on the ramp, looking a bit lost.

"He… he can't do that…", she whispered.

"In all honesty, I am indeed speculating", commented the she-wolf with a small smile. "I would lie if I said such a union in demon lands wouldn't serve my personal interests…but I swear I speak the truth for at least one thing: whatever nonsenses he tells you, it's pretty obvious he loves you."

"But how can you know all of that? How can you arrive to such conclusions when you barely know us?", wondered Rin with a frown.

"My eye, Lady Rin…I told you that. You have two; it should be even easier for you. Just stop listening to all his prideful silences and denials and examine what he does…how he looks and talks to you, like I said before. You know…when he asked if you were injured before we got started, he could already tell you were fine with his sense of smell. I bet it was just a poor excuse to hear the sound of your voice", the she-wolf said with a smile.

Rin blinked a few times, stared back at the sea and closed her eyes for a while, the waves giving her vertigo.

"Are you alright, Lady Rin?"

"Y-yes…a bit dizzy, that is all…I should probably eat something…", supposed Rin absently.

"Yes, yes of course. Let me accompany you inside…"

…

"I still can't believe it, twenty five boats? You want to control all of the Western Sea or something?", inquired Tatsumaki, before taking a sip of her drink.

"Why not?", replied Sesshomaru nonchalantly, staring at no point in particular, as if lost in a distant contemplation.

"Good luck finding that many demons with sea legs", she retorted.

"There is no need, the crews are part of the deal too", he responded, glancing at the vassal impassively.

"Well, it sure is an excellent agreement. I wonder what Hatsuno will think of the highway, though", commented Kireru thoughtfully.

"With partial control on the fleet, he won't have a word to say", retorted Sesshomaru nonchalantly, emptying his cup.

"That old dried raisin will find other sources of complaints, I am sure", retorted Tatsumaki with a frown.

Then a shadow covered the dog demon partially. He glanced up, to see his inebriated looking ward, nibbling at a daifuku, staring at him thoughtfully. Sesshomaru frowned interrogatively.

"What is it, Rin?", he asked softly.

"Hmmm, nothing", she answered absently, apparently satisfied even though she was standing on unstable feet.

"You should sit down", he advised, looking at her posture doubtfully. He glanced around and noticed there were no available seats left.

"Well I can give you my seat, Lady Rin", suggested Kireru politely.

"Nah…", retorted Tatsumaki. "Why don't you sit on your boyfriend's laps, Rin?", she asked with a sneer.

Rin glanced at her absently, then gazed back at her lord…and did exactly as she was told, Sesshomaru's eyes widening a little as she swiftly sat bridal style on his lap, but he showed no protest and held the side of her waist to make sure she wouldn't fall…she didn't look very steady…

The wind demoness stared at them in disbelief.

"You're the one who suggested this in the first place", observed the fox with a smug look.

"Do you want some?", Rin asked to Sesshomaru in a low voice, showing him the few daifukus she was holding, while staring at him from up close.

"No thank you", he replied with a sideways glance, half amused at her obsessions over the sweet treats.

"I still think those guards from the Central Lands weren't supposed to be seen…they were hidden under cloaks", observed Kireru, back to serious conversation.

"It was stupid of them to keep their official identification tags…", added Tatsumaki.

Sesshomaru frowned and gazed back at Rin, still staring at him intently with her big hazel eyes, as if she was trying to decipher something.

"They're really the best, you should try one", she insisted, waddling one of the small desserts in front of his face. He looked at her with wisps of annoyance, just took it from her hands and took a bite, in hopes she would stop her endless nudging, but a raising eyebrow and a glance at the little ball of sweetness made her grin.

"I know right?", she said laughing. "They are sinfully good!"

"Hmph…"

He stole another one from her hands without asking and returned his attention to his vassals. But she kept staring and staring…and staring…

This lady Miyah had told her to examine his way to speak and to talk, so she couldn't control herself and had to examine him very intently. She knew already that he talked to her differently than with other people, he was prone to address her with softness or with whispers to her ear, and she knew he looked at her warmly once in a while, but she had to examine how he looked at the others. Could he be expressive with them too?

She saw him stare at his vassals, half interested by what they said, responding with curt answers once in a while, with his deep…pleasant voice, with crisp…perfect elocution. It was hard to believe he had drunk sake…his way to be perfect-looking all the time was so amazing…it was almost infuriating…

She focused again on the eyes, and saw that even when Tatsumaki tried some sly joke, he stayed neutral. She thought it was odd, he would normally have bothered with a small frown of annoyance …but he did look...very relaxed. She supposed it must be the deal that put him in a good mood.

Then he gazed back at her with a sideways glance, and it struck her. The difference Lady Miyah was talking about, hard facial traits relaxing, piercing icy eyes switching to gentleness. She had never noticed it could be so drastic! He raised an eyebrow and caught her chin between his thumb and index finger.

"What is it, Rin?", he asked softly.

The baritone voice…so smooth…

She didn't answer and kept staring, completely obsessed with him.

"What are you looking at?", he counted-attacked.

"You."

He looked a little taken aback by her straightforwardness…he must have expected some sort of blush, apology and some stammering, but she didn't care very much about inhibitions, even if he stared at her with his powerful, beautiful eyes…and warm too…

"Why?", he just asked in a whisper.

She bit her lip in hesitation, thinking she probably shouldn't answer. The answer to this question did bring some doubts in her hazy mind. His face got closer to hers, as if forcing her to acknowledge his penetrating amber eyes.

"Wanna truthful answer?", she slurred, then she blushed, her elocution drastically mediocre compared to his.

"Always", he answered back.

She seemed thoughtful a moment, even though she was clearly inebriated, and then she leaned over to whisper to his ear…

"Are you aware of it, my lord? Do you feel it?", she asked very shyly, placing a small peck on his cheek.

His amber eyes blinked in confusion, while he turned his neck to gaze at her.

"Aware of what?"

He didn't get more precisions, she just caught his lips with hers, his eyes widening for a brief moment at the sudden incursion, but her arms suddenly all over him awoke the primal part he usually hid away and he just kissed back. She tasted sweet because of the daifukus. He deepened the contact hungrily.

"…I can't believe this", commented the wind demoness. "They are making out"

"You know you shouldn't look, Tatsumaki", retorted the fox with annoyance.

"But they're doing it right in our faces!", she exclaimed.

Then, as if remembering ways to behave in public, Sesshomaru suddenly broke the kiss, and took her waist with his hands, forcing her to stand up before doing the same.

"Wh-what are you doing?", Rin asked lazily.

"It is time to go", he answered curtly, giving a nonchalant nod at his subjects before pushing her lower back until they got close to the exit.

"What? Already leaving?", asked Lady Miyah from a distance.

Sesshomaru glanced back casually. "She needs to lie down", he explained matter-of-factly, while holding Rin's waist in an attempt to steady her.

"I don't…need…lying down", Rin slurred, looking offended.

The she-wolf smirked. "Yes, I understand, do what you must", she said with a bow.

..X..

Then they got out swiftly, but Rin's coordination issues convinced Sesshomaru to grab her bridal style and carry her around. She laid an arm around his shoulder, still not completely limp.

"My lord…where are we going?", she asked, slurring again.

"You are tired, you need to sleep."

"But…that's boring", she retorted, seemingly already more lucid because of that annoying prospect. "Can we go see the beach instead?"

"The beach? Why for?"

"It's so pretty…please… the stars' reflection was so beautiful from the balcony, I want to see it from up close…", she said, with her begging eyes he couldn't resist.

"You will go to sleep after?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes…I guess so", she whispered.

He repressed a sigh and made the detour towards the dark beaches. At least, the sky was clear, and the breeze was pleasant, he could sure use it at the moment. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea after all…His steps slowed down a little, as he reached the sand, his feet sinking in, not as pleasant to walk in than the stony pathways.

"Can you put me down, please?", Rin asked in a whisper, cute pout on her lips.

He looked at her doubtfully and obeyed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she removed her zoris nonchalantly and sighed with a smile, enjoying the feel of the sand on her toes.

"The sand is nice, it's still warm", she commented with a grin, as she started to walk slowly towards the water, her footing already more steady than earlier, as if the sea breeze was helping her sober up.

"Hmph…"

"You should try to remove your boots too, my lord", she suggested with a smile.

"I'll pass", he replied, wondering what was the fuss with getting feet dirty with sand.

"You know…you shouldn't be uptight like that all the time…it's not like you were on duty or anything…", she commented, still a bit tipsy.

"I am always on duty, Rin", he replied, matter-of-factly.

"…Don't you have days off, once in a while?", she asked with curiosity.

"Entire days…I don't need that. What would I do anyway? Sleep?", he inquired, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"Yeah…"

"I barely need to rest", he retorted.

"Well, I don't know, you could just relax, read a book under a tree, take a long walk in the wilds…you know…have fun…", she suggested spontaneously.

"What is the point of walks in the wilds? We do that daily", he replied rationally.

"Well…we are taking a casual walk right now…Don't you enjoy it? The nice salty wind and the…", she stared at the sand, then at his boots. "Yeah whatever"

His eyes narrowed at her last judging "whatever", so he unceremoniously removed his boots to make a point, under her wide eyes and open mouth.

"There. I enjoy myself", he stated solemnly, as if trying to convince himself.

She burst out in laughers at his official statement. "There you go, Sesshomaru-sama! Show these little grains of sand who's the lord!", she cheered.

He scratched at his forehead, mocking smile creeping up his lips, yet successfully controlling laughter. It was a close call.

"Hmph… You can be so silly", he retorted, with a smirk.

"But you like my silliness, right?", she shot back with a mischievous grin.

She did entertain him, it was true, but he just answered with a smirk, expression stuck between annoyance and amusement.

She glanced at the water, now very close, and raised her skirts, and dared to dip one of her feet.

"The temperature is so nice…", she observed casually.

He raised a suspicious eyebrow. "We should go back…"

"But…I want to swim!", she exclaimed, while glancing back at him. "Would you mind, Sesshomaru-sama? You could come too?"

He looked at her pleading eyes; she wanted him to come so much, he almost said yes. Cool water could soothe him a little, but then he remembered he should actually watch over her, instead of fooling around…like he just did. He had the impression they could actually mess around a lot, if he dared to go in there. He did drink a little too.

"Do as you please, I will stay here", he just said while staring at the waves.

When he glanced at her, he noticed she had already removed her obi, and was throwing it unceremoniously on the sand. He took a few steps back and just sat down, hoping she wouldn't take too long…

He looked away, the movement of the waves unsettling his senses a little…he supposed he might have drunk a bit too much…

He kept himself busy staring at the sand, he touched it with his hand. He frowned, realizing it was pretty warm…warmer…than the ambient temperature. Then he glanced up, just in time to see her remove her kimono, fold it nonchalantly, look behind her and throw it into the sand, leaving her only in her hadajuban. Then, she noticed that he was looking, and stared back at him, impassively.

He broke eyes contact and buried one foot deep into the sand, and surprised himself at enjoying it. He must really be more intoxicated than he previously thought.

…Then he sincerely hoped she wouldn't remove her hadajuban. He felt his blood was hot since the kiss in front of everyone, and he wasn't sure if he could still control himself. He glanced up, and saw that she was like frozen into space, still staring at the sea.

And then, he saw her hands come at the front of her body, and the white fabric fell.

He stopped breathing, his eyes glued on her glistening silhouette even though it was dark…cream-coloured skin looking snow white under the moonlight, long dark locks caressing delicately the small of her back, only a thin undergarment covering her from waist to her highest part of her thighs, her arms in front of her, probably covering her bust. He felt his blood heat up intensely, his heartbeat speeding and urges he had tried so hard to repress until now… He sincerely hoped she wouldn't glance back at him, or else he might see that part of her anatomy…and then he might lose control of himself…He had enough clues to know this sight could only be delightful and he wasn't sure how he would react. He sighed in despair…He felt like an idiotic stripling.

He tore his eyes away from the sight and stared at the sand. It wasn't the right time or the right place for this… It hadn't been his intention to frolic about in this place…and she was severely inebriated, it wasn't fair of him to glance at her like that…he shouldn't even let her bathe…

But then again, under the fireworks, she was the one who had asked him to undress her…

He chased that thought away, displeased with his wickedness. He couldn't join her. If he did, he was concerned he may not be able to hold back…It wasn't the time and place to give in…it certainly wouldn't serve her interests if he did…but then again…he did hold back in other difficult situations…maybe he could…

He heard her gasp. He glanced up instinctively and saw her walk into the sea, raising her arms to her sides, as if afraid to dip her arms in the water. She was now covered to the waist, and he realized that, at this stage, he truly didn't have any choice but to watch, or else she might drown, while he kept debating pointlessly with himself.

Her figure started to be a little blurry, and he was glad, because it meant he had not a clear view of her splendid figure anymore, and it meant he could maybe…control himself…He kept staring as she played with the wavelets, finally touching them with her hands, and then her arms, like graceful wings dipping in midnight waters.

And then, worst of all, he repressed the urge to hold his head and cover his ears as she started to sing with her pretty voice…He was quite sure he heard his name in her improvised lyrics, evilly luring him like a mermaid…Yes that's it…she wasn't a swan anymore…his Rin was a…corrupted…mermaid…

His body flinched, he had just repressed a hiccup…He cursed at his own drunkenness. How could he watch over her in this state?

He glanced briefly at the moon, in search for wise advices, but even the white round figure was blurry, his mind sinking in some dark place, as if all the celebrations from earlier were catching up with him, numbing his mind and his will, firing up his unspoken wants.

He kept hearing her bewitching singing…Then his dazed mind remembered briefly the surprised face she made, cute blush on her cheeks, when he caught her reading at her fantasy, closing the book in a loud slap.

Slap. He felt the last bit of resolve crumble.

.x.x.

Rin sang quietly, as she watched the stars and walked into the cool waters. The waves were pleasant, massaging her sore muscles from her swimming the night before and the race with the nasty snakes…what a day it had been... She smiled in bliss, the seawater helping her soothe her dizziness…slowly getting back to her senses. She should probably take a swim and stop being so sensitive to the cold…

And then, she remembered Sesshomaru must be somewhere on the beach. She glanced back carefully, but her eyes widened as she realized he wasn't there.

"Sesshomaru-sama?", she called softly.

No answer. She turned her entire body, while covering herself, and made a few steps back, silently searching for him, but he was no where to be found.

She shivered self-consciously, not liking to be alone in dark waters like this. Where could he be?

"SESSSHOMARUU-SAMAAAA", she called loudly.

No answer.

"Where is he?", she wondered out loud.

But then she heard a very faint sound coming from the waters, she glanced down and saw a few bubbles…and then…her eyes widened in realization.

A tall predatory figure got out of the undulating waters and threw itself at her, catching her waist in a firm grip. Rin yelped in surprise, gulping a bit of salty water as her entire body fell under the waves, only to be brought out of the sea in a strong embrace, Rin laughing hysterically, fighting like a little demon as brushing hands tortured the sides of her waist. She splashed water on the enemy as a mean of defence and got away, hiding her figure underwater.

"Again, you scared me, Sesshomaru-sama. You always do.", she commented with a mischievous smile, as she looked at him brush his hair away from his eyes, and then at tiny droplets falling off the side of his jawline.

He didn't answer and just stared at her, while she swam friskily, splashing bits of water. She didn't seem to notice his state of mind.

"You can't possibly think you could undress and sing like that without dire consequences", he said in a dangerously low voice, while approaching her.

She felt her face redden, as she watched his broad shoulders and torso coming out of the water, suddenly understanding what he meant.

"I am sorry, my lord…I feel…a little wild, it must be the sake or…"

She stopped talking and closed her eyes as she felt two hands grab her thighs, to end their exploration at her hips, gently lifting her. She wrapped her legs around him, like she knew he liked, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, while trying to ignore the uneasiness caused by her almost-nakedness.

"I will not be a soft kisser tonight", he announced in a whisper to her ear.

"It's fine with me", she answered, as his lips landed on hers, making her heart flutter, giving him every permission he wanted.

One of his hands brushed against her cheek, caressing it as he continued his ministrations, the soft touch sending a jolt through her entire being, as she pulled herself closer to him. She loved this kiss; it was a pure delightful balance of lust and tenderness.

He broke the kiss a bit too quickly for her likings to look at her with hooded eyes, staring at her face from up close. She looked down timidly.

"Rin…", he whispered to her ear, with a tad of desperation.

She glanced up at him worriedly. "What is it?"

He gazed down, as if embarrassed of what he was about to say. "May I…look at you?"

She blushed furiously and then smiled at him tenderly, feeling moved by his display of vulnerability.

"Of course. I don't even understand why you ask permission…" she replied softly.

"It may not be the most appropriate time", he reasoned.

"On the contrary. I think the timing is perfect", she insisted, feeling a bit bold.

Then, she awkwardly removed her arms from her bosom, and stood up, the water so shallow it went down to her thighs when the waves passed by her. But he kept his focus on the waves.

"W-well…you can look now, if you want", she announced, with a blush, still unused to the chilly breeze on the usually concealed part of her body.

He slowly glanced up, as if brought back to reality by her voice and Rin felt her body heat up in embarrassment, as she saw his gaze freeze over her womanly shape, careful gaze quickly turning unfocused, as if the image had bewitched him somehow.

She blushed harder and looked away in embarrassment. She felt him get closer and wrap his arms around her in a soft embrace, kissing softly her neck as his body brushed against hers.

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again.

"Before you ask", he whispered between two kisses. "Yes, you do look good"

"R-really?", she stammered.

"Rin, your allure is _killing_ me", he retorted with spite.

"Why do you sound so upset?", she wondered worriedly.

"I am not used to enjoy it so much when I glance at a woman", he confessed, continuing his kisses, now reaching her collarbone, Rin feeling herself blush and melt all at once.

"And…and how is that a bad thing?", she asked back, a bit distracted, closing her eyes.

"I do not like how you dispossess me of my control…", he admitted in a husky whisper. "I feel lewd and this is not right. I don't want to frighten you."

"I was just kidding earlier. You never scare me. You are always gentle, whatever your mood is", she murmured back, looking at him shyly. "I can't imagine you could possibly do something I wouldn't like…"

Then she looked at him look at her in the eyes, and she suddenly felt the urge to look down, but before she could do so, she felt one of his hand leave her back to brush her bottom lip, making her shiver, then touch her shoulder and her collarbone, and then rest on her breast, while his eyes rested on her face, examining her reactions.

She stopped breathing and closed her eyes, as he kept touching the most sensitive part of her shape, feeling weak on her knees.

Then she felt him come closer to place small kisses on her shoulder and her collarbone, and she had the impression she knew where he was going, but as he came close to his destination, he pulled away violently, and hid her womanly parts with his body, pulling her in a protective embrace with one arm. Rin opened her eyes and realized with great frustration that a bunch of drunkards had gotten inside the water, screaming and messing around with the waves.

And then the mood was killed and she was very afraid to be glanced at by some obnoxiously drunk striplings.

"We should leave", she said with disappointment.

He glanced at the partiers with wisps of annoyance. "I agree…"

…

"Your turn", stated Kireru.

"Yeah-yeah…", replied Tatsumaki with nonchalance, rolling the dice, the little wooden pieces giving off numbers she didn't want to see. She looked back boringly at her black and white checkers on the table.

"My game is a mess", she complained and then she sighed. "I hate _ban-sugoroku_, this thing is boring"

"You have a better idea?", asked the fox demon.

"_Cho-han_?"

"No way I play that game with you"

"Oh come on! I thought that foxes love gambling!"

"Not me. Not anymore", he retorted with annoyance.

"Pfff! Addiction problems, Kireru?", asked Tatsumaki with a smirk.

He looked at her annoyingly. "Shouldn't we try to locate Sesshomaru and Rin? Maybe something happened?"

"Nah…they're fine", Tatsumaki replied with a frown.

"We do not know for sure", Kireru said, rising a thoughtful eyebrow.

"I will not be the one chaperoning the almighty Sesshomaru and you should avoid it too, if you want to go back to the Western lands with your head on your shoulders!"

Then a loud thud was heard on the door. Both demons stared back at it.

"What was that?", wondered the fox.

"I don't know…a boar or something?", supposed wind demoness.

Another louder thud was heard. Both vassals stood up, already in defensive mode.

"I think something is trying to get in", observed Kireru.

"Yeah, congratulations, genius!", exclaimed Tatsumaki, grabbing her weapon.

And then finally, a third thud was heard, the loudest of all, and the door smashed open, revealing a squealing young woman, held bridal style by the source of their torments, both of them with wet hair, the demon with a clothe less torso.

"Oh kami! Sesshomaru-sama, you're the worst!", Rin said between laughers.

"What are you talking about?", he asked with annoyance.

"You broke the door!", exclaimed Rin.

"We could have opened", commented Tatsumaki with annoyance.

Then Rin turned her head, noticing the two others were there, blushing and opening her mouth in bewilderment, but before she could say anything, Sesshomaru distracted her with a kiss and carried her hurriedly towards one of the bedroom and slammed the door shut with a foot, leaving only some muffled noises, and sometimes what seemed like loud feminine laughers come out.

Kireru and Tatsumaki stared at each other, both of them a little troubled. Then the fox tried to examine the damaged door, while the wind demoness just put away their board games.

"Well, that answers our questions", commented Kireru.

"YOUR questions, fox!", exclaimed Tatsumaki dryly.

"We should go take a walk", he suggested with a frown.

"At once!", she said, getting out of the room swiftly as the wind.

.X.X.X.

"Sesshomaru-sama, what are you doing?!", Rin asked half amusement, half dread.

Without answering, he just carried her through the room, frowned at all the beds much too narrow for his likings, settled for the one closest to the window, and threw her unceremoniously on it, the young woman a bunch of squeals as she fell on the mattress. She rolled on her back and opened her eyes to see him extinguishing the torches lighting the room, leaving only a few candles, changing the ambiance…all of a sudden, dim lights screaming wickedness. She stopped breathing, as she saw him walk towards her, her hazel eyes widening as he climbed at the end of the bed, and walked on all fours to hover over her like some hungry predator, brushed her hair away from her neck to give a few suggestive kisses before ravishing her lips. Rin let out a trembling sigh as he reached for her obi. She raised her back to let him untie it more easily, which also allowed him to kiss and nip her at the junction of her neck and shoulder while he fought hard not to rip the piece of fabric.

"Wh-what are we going to do?", Rin stammered, with uncertainty in her voice, closing her eyes at the sensation of his lips on her skin. "A-are we going to…"

He put his index finger on her red lips, darting a lazy-looking sideways glance. "Do not speak. Your speculations are ill omen."

"But I was just asking if…"

"I only want to please you", he cut her off with a whisper full of lust.

"What is that supposed to mean?", she asked, a bit puzzled.

"It means…that I will not take you", he said slowly, throwing off the obi and opening her kimono while kissing her neck and cheek and shoulder. "…Not until you beg for it…that is…"

She shivered …now that was some obscene talks…

"Beg? But…it may take a while, my lord", she said in a low voice, that she wanted daring, closing her eyes as she felt his hot hands free her from her hadajuban and brush over her stomach. She sighed, the hot feel of his hands marvellous on her skin still cold from the sea. She covered her breasts instinctively, not used to his eyes yet.

He glanced at her daringly. "A while? Are you sure of that, _my lady_?", he asked, mimicking her daring tone, with half a smirk.

She gasped at his pun and gazed at him silently, thinking he looked a bit absent and tired, much more than on the beach…she frowned, wondering if he was growing tipsy? But it had been a while since they had left the celebrations…she herself had the time to sober up a little since…

Then she forgot her questionings about his state and let her head fall on the pillow as he kissed her on the stomach, numbing the weak inhibitions left, feeling less and less self conscious about her almost naked form. Then she felt his kisses go up, and heat rush up her cheeks as he removed her arms of the way, feeling so vulnerable, but she forgot her uneasiness in an instant, still mesmerized the feel of his lips over her skin. And then his mouth reached one of her breast, resuming what they had started in the water. Her eyes blinked compulsively, head titling in the pillow as an inexplicable bliss consumed her body. She couldn't help but whimper and bury her hands in his hair, as he kept torturing her there for what seemed like forever.

She glanced down as she felt him stop his ministrations, just in time to see him gaze up with hungry eyes, before attacking her other mound, her whimpering and sighing and being unable to control herself. After a while she pulled at his shoulder, wanting him to come closer. He left her bust and obeyed, which allowed her to attack him with a hungry kiss, holding the back of his head, locking lips with him with his own dominant fashion, while he kept massaging her body with his hands, silently hoping that titillating her on many fronts would make her beg, not caring anymore about the other plans he had in mind for her.

As if she wanted to kill him, she spread her legs open and encircled his waist tightly, forcing him to break the kiss, his jaw tightening at her torture. He took her hips and pushed her firmly against the mattress, not able to bare that a minute longer, glancing at her dangerously.

"Should I take that for a begging?", he asked with a low husky voice.

She just stared at him with hooded eyes, while trying to push her hips against his hands, wanting to find back his closeness.

"Rin?"

"I-I don't know!", she stammered. "Don't keep me away like that!", she begged with frustration.

He smirked slightly, enjoying the sight of her inner struggles. "If I keep going, chances are high that you will beg", he warned darkly.

"I-I don't care! Go on!", she ordered impatiently.

He snatched roughly the last undergarment still covering her, which made her gasp in surprise, and she forgot to breath, as his hand reached for her intimate parts, exploring carefully the forbidden place. She stopped breathing. She felt odd, as she felt him wander around places she didn't even dare visit herself, uncertain how she was supposed to feel…until he brushed some sensitive spot, making her shudder and pull away in surprise. She saw him glance at her with fiery satisfaction. He soothed her with a soft kiss on the lips, which made her forget her past uneasiness. But then he started titillating her again, and she had to break the kiss in surprise, mouth wide open, feeling her cheeks reddening.

"Oh Kami!"

"Stop your pious talks around me, Rin", he warned in a whisper, and then he kissed her under her ear.

Then she just stopped using words and closed her lips tightly in a desperate attempt at concealing her moans, as he continued tormenting her with his touching, making her wild with lust, cold sweats and chills. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but if it was some act of persuasion to let him have her, it was working very well…

"Sesshomaru…", she succeeded whispering between two whimpers. "I-I-I need to know", she stammered.

"What?"

"You said that d-demons were emotionally detached but…Lady Miyah…she says that we love each other…I-I…"

He glanced up absently, unfocused by her talks. She yelped at the increasing pleasure and started to buck her hips to move in synch with him, febrile and eager for the intense sensation, goosebumps covering her skin.

"Rin, you shouldn't talk in a such a state", he whispered, kissing her cheek softly, as he kept stroking.

"I-I know I love you! I love you so much!", she exclaimed with a desperate, trembling tone, ignoring his warnings. "Do you think you could love me too?"

He felt deep affliction and other foreign things at her admissions and questions. Why did she have to torture him with this dreadful question at the worst possible moment? He knew his highly intoxicated mind would not find any easy way to get out of this one.

"Sesshomaru, please, answer me", she begged.

"Rin…of all the places and moments, why now?", he asked with frustration, still touching her in hopes of distraction.

"I-I need to know…", she murmured sadly.

"Rin…", he whispered, looking at her. "…Love is an abstract notion to me."

"What is it then? Is it just lust?", she asked quickly.

"Of course not."

"Then tell me. I-I don't know what you can feel, I just want to understand…", she whispered, looking at him with piercing eyes, as if trying to see something through him.

He suddenly felt nervous, not knowing what to reply, so he just kept going at his ministrations in hopes she wouldn't listen too much to what he says, and decided to blurt out everything he could think about, hoping a sentence or two may satisfy her emotional needs…

"I…I can't take my eyes off of you when you enter my eyesight. I feel anger each times another man glances at you. They have no right to watch you like that or-or to claim you when the only thing they care for is your…nice features…", he whispered angrily. "You are much more than that to me…"

"M-my lord…", Rin whispered, worried and moved all at once. She noticed he was sweaty and his elocution wasn't as good as usual. He looked so drunk all of a sudden…

"They don't understand…they don't understand at all that you are fragile and require protection. Th-the only one who understood that part is dead….Rin, I am the only one to deserve you, now, wh-who deserve to have you tht-is way", he stammered with pants, his low voice slightly trembling, now looking a bit upset and lost.

Rin looked at him with anxiety, she felt as if he was slowly losing it. Was it really the sake that made him so unstable, all of a sudden? She frowned. She didn't even want him to speak his mind anymore, she was afraid the alcohol was making him say things he might regret later…she had never meant to violate his mind or anything…

"My lord it's okay…I didn't want to push you to…"

"I might be un-unable to feel l-love as you d-do, but I care for you, Rin…more than you can ever ima…gine…", he whispered, getting closer to her ear.

"My lord…you can stop if you want, I think you are drunk", she said quickly, now completely overwhelmed.

"If I must…I w-would cross the ent-tire woorld to rescue you…", he continued, ignoring her.

She tried to kiss him, but he pushed her away before she could reach his lips, suddenly very eager to make his thoughts come out. He secured her on the mattress, with an arm around her waist, and a thigh on her legs.

"I would slay f-fiiive th-thousands demons or…m-ore with my bare hands to p-protect you…"

Rin shivered wildly as he started fondling her again in the most indecent way…her body answering very enthusiastically at the touching…She panted erratically, as she realized the situation was completely out of control…

"I would give up soo…so many things if-if it m-m-meant…I could k-keep yo…with me…bec-cause I do not w-want to lose you…ever…again…", he stammered in a whisper getting weaker and weaker, the last words barely understandable.

"My lord…", Rin murmured, deeply troubled, not wanting him to stop talking anymore, not even sure what between his touching and his words was making her closer to ecstasy.

"…You are so dear to me Rin…you are the most important person in my life…", he kept going, sounding suddenly very lucid, stutter magically gone.

And then a long silence ensued, Sesshomaru with his mouth half open as if his brain was trying very hard to find the end of his reasoning. Rin glanced at him, heart racing, waiting for whatever was going to come out, hoping he was finally sobering up. He glanced up at her, face very close to hers, overwhelming her with his piercing eyes.

"Rin…", he whispered, eyes widening a little, as if he had reached enlightenment.

"Sesshomaru…", she responded in a barely audible whisper.

"You a-are…my…dearest…", he blurted out, and then he blinked a lot, his eyes harder to open each time, all his strength seemingly leaving him, all of a sudden.

Rin pulled at his shoulders so he could lie next to her. He took the opportunity to kiss her tenderly, while snuggling against her. She gasped, with his lips still on hers, as she felt the weight of his body. And then, he broke the kiss and rested his head on the pillow next to her. She felt a long sigh on her neck, afterwards his forehead fell awkwardly on the side of her shoulder.

"Sesshomaru? Se…Sesshomaru-sama?", she whispered.

No answer. Worried, she glanced down, couldn't see his eyes because of his closeness, but his limp form, half crashed on her body, and his slow regular breathing, told her he had passed out…

She sighed, completely overwhelmed by the emotional and physical state he was letting her in, still intoxicated with his touches and revelations, but she supposed it was a bit of her fault too…

He hadn't said it, but what he said through his stammering was so beautiful to her that it was far than enough…She felt bittersweet emotions flow through her, unsure if she should be glad of what she had heard, or remorse at the prospect he should have kept that for himself. His lucid mind may not have wanted her to hear all of this.

After a while of not knowing what to do, not daring to move, because she didn't want to wake him up, her eyelids felt heavier. A content smile spread on her lips, forgetting all her frustrations and worries as she remembered his last words.

…_my dearest…_

…End of chapter…

…

…

Yup. You know what to do now. You know…the big blank box downstairs, screaming to be filled with comments X)


	15. Bittersweet Symbolism

A/N : Thank you all for your kind reviews, you spoiled me! :) I love it when you are numerous and talkative. I can't help but notice the final scene was the object of many many comments…I am not surprised! I was worried it might have been too much but since you loved it, I stopped worrying…

Sorry if I took a bit more time than usual. Life got in the way...and it could occur again in January, holidays are over and I'm quite busy.

About that, I do appreciate the moral support, I really do…a lot… but reviews containing only complaints about delays or only begging for an update won't make me post my next chapter sooner. As you have noticed already, my texts are long. I actually have to type all these words and do consistent revision… and I had to work hard on this one, because there was a part that annoyed me towards the end and I had to think about it for a couple of days before finding an acceptable solution…So yeah…the tomato ketchup won't come out until it's ready, but it's in your best interests ;)

So now…that being said…Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Bittersweet Symbolism

Some days are insignificant and change nothing to our everyday lives. Some others will create memories for a while, or even a lifetime.

But …the_ day_ she had signed a historical treaty as _his_ Lady was much…muchmore than a simple memory. She knew it... She was sure of it.

Rin had been thinking about it for a while…For an hour at least, maybe more. Sesshomaru wouldn't wake up, about half of his body was lying shamelessly on her delicate frame, preventing her to move, and because she didn't want to disturb what looked like some glorious episode of deep sleep for the Lord of the Western Lands, she decided to indulge him with quietness.

The truth was…she had never seen him sleep for real before that morning. Never.

Of course, she had distant memories of him closing his eyes for a while, dozing off even, but small twitches of his eyelids appearing the moment she made a noise, or an inquisitive opening of an eye, even after the most discreet movements, confirmed her he truly…never falls in deep slumber. At some point, she had concluded that centuries of living must have removed him the ability to sleep for real, but apparently it hadn't. It had taken a good dose of fighting, a legendary treaty, a night of drinking, some intense dalliances and surreal confidences for him to capitulate, but in the end…he did give in.

Rin wondered when was the last time he had slept like this... It must have been decades ago, by the way his forehead had landed somewhere on her shoulder, strongly prompting her to lay her cheek on his head tenderly, while her eyes were glued on the strong arm encircling her waist, as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn't go away, while the other one was hanging shamelessly from the bed. It was a very odd position he had fallen asleep in, yet he hadn't moved a single time, since he had snuggled against her the previous night, after his long and overwhelming description of how he felt about her.

She closed her eyes in awe, thinking about that _description_…She had taken the time to memorize it, like a prayer, so it could stay safe in her mind forever, so whatever he might say next, she will always be able to secretly live that moment again…She opened her eyes and spotted her hadajuban discarded carelessly on the floor, compelling evidence of acts that would make Kaede shake her head in disapproval. Rin truly felt perplexed. She had gotten drunk senseless, took a midnight swim, revealed her nude form and confessed her love to Sesshomaru. And now she was lying under him, still naked, not efficiently hidden under bed sheets… and in plain daylight at that…Daylight always made her feel chaste and shy about whatever she would have done the night before…

…Not this time.

She frowned, remembering in details everything that had happened…

The Rin from a few months ago would have been terrified, waking up in the company of a man…panic exacerbated even more if that man were her almighty protector Lord Sesshomaru. But today, the impulse of fear never came.

The Rin from a few weeks ago would have felt very ashamed about her indecent behaviour, sitting on his lap in front of everyone, kissing like they were alone. But, in fact, she could have taken a walk in the woods the night before, and she would feel exactly the same today…she felt at ease…

The Rin from just a few days past would have blushed to no end… at the memory that she had let him look at her without any clothes on, like it was the most natural thing in the world to expose her body this way. This Rin would have been utterly embarrassed, thinking back of her own quivering and whimpering in sensual delight, even though she knew they could be heard by a fair amount of people…

The truth was, today, she couldn't care less about any of this. In fact, the only thing she was able to feel since waking up was…contentment…

This Rin from the morning after was definitely not the same Rin as the one who had fallen asleep the night before. She may still be a maiden, but she didn't feel like one anymore. She felt as if she had transformed: as if pieces of her had vanished overnight, never to come back. Somehow, she felt like she had made a trade with Sesshomaru: he had shared some of his deepest secrets, in exchange for her innocent mind. And now, she had simply no idea what replaced the innocence gone. Though there was no wave of panic, Rin knew she felt overwhelmed somehow. She just…wasn't sure how she was supposed to express it yet...

She frowned in annoyance, and scrubbed her eyelids.

Maybe she was just thinking too much. Maybe that she just had some very… intense episode of hangover, the fogginess in her brain making her think much too philosophically for her likings…She had to stop that. At once.

She glanced back at Sesshomaru, still sleeping soundly. She caressed a lock of his hair tenderly and closed her eyes a moment, listening to the sweet melody of his slow, steady respiration, his complete abandonment soothing her mind. She had never thought seeing and hearing him sleep could be so blissful…She felt such intimacy…yet, he was oblivious to it…

She refrained a sigh, cruel reality back to haunt her. She knew she should dread the moment he would awaken. Sesshomaru is someone who is always in control, but he hadn't been the night before…Not at all. Rin dared not speculate about his future reactions, she knew that it was highly unpredictable… but anxiety failed to engulf her… Whatever he says today, some part of her knew very well that what he had said the night before was sincere, and knowing how strong was his attachment to her, shielded her against any icy reactions the Sesshomaru from the morning after may have.

…Still…she sincerely hoped he wouldn't be angry. She did feel guilty about asking him very personal questions while he was so wasted…She felt like she had accidentally opened the door to a room she wasn't supposed to get in, and that a huge secret she wasn't supposed to know about fell on top of her head. She had never expected he would react this way, share everything he had inside of him this way. She felt like she had abused of him…in a way…how ironic that sounded…But she had no way to travel back in time, so she would have to embrace whatever was to come. She would bear the burden of her own actions, and accept whatever he says, even if he decides to minimise or deny the importance of his revelations.

She suddenly felt unwell, the light coming out from the window was now way too powerful: disrupting her peacefulness. She needed to get out of there, but Sesshomaru was still asleep. She glanced at him. He seemed still so deep in slumber… maybe she could sneak out without him noticing.

She took a deep breath, slid her body to the other side of the bed and got out, silently as a cat. Her eyes widened as she saw him frown and move a little, but his eyes never opened and his respirations confirmed Rin her attempt was a success.

She glanced at the room with desperation, and tip toed a while…to gather her scattered clothes.

…

He woke up with a start, feeling a chill creep up his spine. Amber eyes opened, to examine briefly black ripped curtains fly with the brisk wind coming in the room. He noticed it was nightfall, frowning. How long had he been asleep?

He glanced next to him, no one. Obviously…if he truly had slept all day long, it was logical for Rin to be gone. Yet, he felt discomfort. He stood up swiftly, feeling sudden urgency to move, and walked carefully through the room with a deep sense of uneasiness he couldn't explain. He opened the door and saw the living room was also empty of living souls, all windows open with black distasteful curtains flying. He frowned at them, the curtains were not flowing inside the room…they were blown out, as if all the air of the room was being sucked out. He failed to repress a violent shiver…and was surprised by his own reaction: he was glad no one was there to see this display of weakness.

He walked out of the villa, going through the broken door that was still half opened, and felt a deep sense of dread at the landscape, completely empty of other buildings, violent wind blowing in one steady direction. He stared around him, confusion invading his conscious mind. There was nothing to look at, no edifices, no hills, no trees…no one... In fact, there was only one thing: the wind. Powerful, dreadful wind. So much wind blowing in one steady direction, he started to feel dizzy, as if there was not enough air for him to breathe. His now dazed mind didn't think twice as he started following the wind, to see what the hell was sucking so much air, silver hair blowing before him.

He walked on the stony ground, sterile of all life, passing through the villa, only to gasp slightly, as he noticed a very high hill. He couldn't see what was on the other side, but it didn't matter, because his dazed mind knew this was where he was going anyway. The wind was ordering him to go there… So he kept walking, ignoring the feeling of the stony highways becoming warmer and warmer as he kept walking…and then climbed the hill, rocky and steep and climbed some more, until he reached the top of the mountain…because it wasn't a hill, it was in fact, a very high mountain, he realized as he glanced down.

Then he kept walking, noticing lightning in his peripheral vision, but didn't mind it, because he had to keep following the wind, and find out what was on the other side of this odd mountain-like hill. The wind was now so powerful it felt like his entire being was sucked toward his final destination. The stones were now hot on his feet, prompting him to quicken his pace. He walked some more and finally, there it was, the end of the ill mountain-like hill.

He felt instant relief as he saw a full moon stare down at him, but maybe it wasn't at him it was staring at…He kept walking, until he reached was looked like a steep cliff.

His eyes widened as he glanced down, mouth half opening, as he realized all the wind was going down, down the cliff, down a dark black void, sucking all things and light in one overwhelming black hole. The stones under his feet were burning hot, now.

He stared at the abyss, uncomprehending the situation, yet, all the previous uneasiness was gone. His mind became more and more blurred as he kept staring down at the black hole, it was sucking everything in, but he knew it wasn't a threat. The hole was full of promises, his demonic skills sensing everything in there: success, power, glory…supremacy, even.

But he knew there were other things in there, there were objects…people…

Rin. Yes. Rin was down there. He had to find her.

Without further thinking, he took one swift step and fell down…down…

Down.

The feeling was not unpleasant, he felt like he was flying backwards. Almighty and powerful, yet unknowing, but he didn't mind, because everything was down there, and staying up a minute more was burning, cold, unpleasant, and bringing pointless despair.

He stared up at the moon getting smaller and smaller. His numbness was now fading away, to be replaced by hyperconsciousness, all the darkness around him even darker than in reality, black blacker than black, wind now sucking him with a wind he had never felt so powerful.

And then his eyes became wide, feeling an overwhelming euphoria take over. He had never felt like this before.

He looked up, not seeing the moon anymore.

And then, water?

Yes, he splashed violently into cold waters, but he kept being sucked down the hole. He wasn't scared. He was never scared, anyway. He had to reach her…and all the rest… she was there somewhere…

He felt goosebumps on his skin, and felt all the air of his lungs was gone, water coming in his mouth without being able to stop it.

Only then, he realized he was drowning and that he wouldn't reach his final destination alive, yet no fear came, joy of liberation too strong to feel anything else. He brought his hands to his throat and coughed.

…

He coughed, coughed hard, took a sharp intake of breath and felt oppressing light blind him as he opened his eyes.

"TATSUMAKI YOU IDIOT!", exclaimed a feminine voice.

Rin's voice. He already felt better, the cliff, water and drowning only a dream. So odd, he usually never dreams…

"Yeah well, he'll stop snoozing now!", retorted dryly another voice, not as pleasant.

"Yeah well, did you really have to throw the entire bucket in his face?!", inquired Rin with clear anger.

"The she-wolf has been harassing Kireru for half an hour. Stop your complaining!", retorted Tatsumaki with annoyance.

"Why do you care? I'm sure Lady Miyah would understand if we told her…"

His vision became clearer now, the two women fighting the first thing he saw with clear eyesight. Too many voices, it was irksome. They had to stop this bickering at once.

"Stop…this…", he mumbled, voice raspy and pronunciation off, his warning not exactly as clear as it should be. The demon woman didn't bother and continued arguing. He squeezed his eyes shut and couldn't help but briefly massage his forehead with his thumb and index finger, a terrible headache taking over. He felt a soft piece of fabric brush over his skin, unaware of Rin's worried expression as she tried to remove water and sweat from his face and shoulders.

"Maybe if you guys didn't behave like stupid teenagers while we…"

Sesshomaru opened his eyes to stare blankly at the irritating demon woman complaining, and then, his killer instincts spotted a neat paper knife on the beside table next to him…

Even though the blade was much more colourful than sharp, it looked like a terrible object of death and destruction as he gripped at the projectile to throw it with lethal precision…Rin gasping and the vassal widening her red eyes as she saw the fatal weapon fly terribly close to her face, only to land on the wall behind her.

"Maybe you should get out", strongly advised Rin, seemingly not surprised by the outburst, while the wind demoness huffed, not wanting to acknowledge her past fear. She still receded without another word, before she could be the target of other nasty pointy objects. Every vassal knew the risk was high when Jaken wasn't around…

Rin glanced back at Sesshomaru and kept delicately moping his face. He showed no resistance, his features relaxing as soon as Tatsumaki got out of his eyesight. He glanced at Rin, silently examining her frown.

"Are you okay?", he asked gently, elocution slowly getting back to normal.

Her traits softened, looking moved, all of a sudden.

"I should be the one asking you this question, Sesshomaru-sama!", she whispered worriedly.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I-I wasn't able to wake you up, I was worried", she explained, looking down in shame. "So I went to get some help, I didn't think she would…"

"Don't bother", he interrupted in a clipped tone. "I am fine."

"Wh-what happened? Why wouldn't you wake up?", she asked in a whisper, clearly upset.

He just glanced to his left, apparently not liking her question. She stopped waiting for the answer and got back to brushing his face with the cotton fabric, removing a few droplets of water left. They stayed quiet for a moment, both in their own musings.

"Sometimes…", he said with a low voice, in a confessing manner. "My slumber is…deep…"

Rin smiled slightly, intrigued. "What?"

"I prefer to stay conscious as much as possible. But sometimes, my body requires substantial rest. When it does, I sleep like the dead."

She giggled. "You say this as if it was a terrible flaw", she commented, with amusement, while folding the piece of cotton. "Sleeping is not a sin, you know…"

"I hate to be caught off guard", he insisted with an annoyed frown.

"When was the last time you slept?", she asked spontaneously.

"…I did get some shut-eye…on your birthday night…"

She smiled: it meant that the last time he slept was in her company! She felt touched.

She mentally counted. "Oh…only that…I thought you would be able to last at least a decade", she observed with fake disappointment.

He glanced at her, looking a bit vexed.

"Oh I was just joking Sesshomaru-sama! Anyway, what are we supposed to do when it happens?"

"Nothing. I need to rest."

"But…if we need to wake you?"

His amber eyes slowly reached her hazel orbs and narrowed, looking lethal. "I kill whoever does", voice deep, just hoarse enough to scare a little.

She froze on her spot and blinked, not sure how to process that answer, especially after the paper knife incident. He raised a daring eyebrow.

"It was a joke."

She blinked more and then had an embarrassed smile. "Ahhh you got me! You are so deadpan!"

"You had it coming", he retorted with a smug look.

"Pfff! You are the worst Sesshomaru-sama!", she exclaimed playfully.

He frowned, that sentence sounded familiar, but he wasn't entirely sure when she had said that. He glanced absently at her, while trying to remember. Now she was apparently trying to find the upper part of his garbs in the room with great eagerness, without success, it was rather entertaining to watch.

He took the time to observe how pleasant looking she was that morning…all wild and genuine, walking around naked feet, her skin freshly kissed by the sun, and her dark hair all wavy because of her dip in the sea. Rin was always attractive, but he thought that her appeal was much, much stronger when she didn't bother with all the subtleties his mother and other women at court imposed her…

Then he mentally cursed, as he remembered the sight of her silhouette, so pure looking under the dim light of the moon and candles, covered with nothing but the ruby pendant he had given her…beautiful hazel eyes shining with dark sparkles as he touched her soft and silky skin…

He knew that this sight was going to haunt him forever…how breathtaking she had been, when she accepted to reveal herself for the first time, her shy eyes looking away the evident proof he was the only one who ever had the chance to glance at her dreamlike features… He truly didn't understand her reserve, she was probably not aware of how gorgeous she was, but her obliviousness only enticed him more.

Then he just chased away these wicked thoughts, not entirely trusting himself around her, he did partly lose his control the night before, so entranced he was. He was glad he had dozed off before he got to make her beg. His wicked and impatient mind had been thinking about it for a little while, and he didn't want their first time to be in any place else than _his_ own apartments. In demon customs, all simple courtesans are banned from the lordly quarters, only very precious lovers and mates allowed to sleep in the lord's private rooms…He had never brought a female in his own bed…ever… He briefly thought about how exotic looking Rin would be in his pale sheets…

Then he almost slapped himself to cease his lecherous contemplations. He got out of bed and walked to her. Some vicious part of his mind was disappointed when he noticed she wasn't startled. However, her eyes did widen when she felt him tug at her obi.

"Wh-what are you doing?", she asked looking puzzled.

"Your knot. It's all wrong", he announced, while untying it.

She blushed bashfully. "Yes, I am having a very hard time with this one…but you know that already."

He didn't answer. He personally couldn't care less about these details, but he felt obligated to help her preserve a nice image…maybe he should actually start consulting her when he has to buy her things. Her input might help avoid such situation… Then he finally got back to pondering about her previous sentence about _him being the worst_... And it came back.

"I smashed the door down", he stated indifferently. "Hmph…"

She glanced at him over her shoulder, looking worried. "Is that the only thing you can remember from yesterday night?"

He frowned. "My memory is unaltered", he stated with certainty.

"Are you sure of that?", she asked, very doubtfully.

"Why are you so adamant to know, Rin?"

He expected her to blush, but she didn't. Instead, her eyes displayed a troubled expression and looked away.

"…Many things happened", she answered absently. "Intimate things…"

"Does that trouble you?", he inquired with gentleness.

She felt her heart flutter at his tone, but chased that away. "Not at all…it's just that…", she frowned. "Forget it."

But he caught her chin to make her look at him before she could get away.

"Speak you mind", he ordered.

She didn't need more coaxing. Her mind was already literally fired up with curiosity.

"Do you remember saying things to me, before falling asleep?", she asked in one quick breath.

He frowned, looking thoughtful, lips twitching for an instant. "I remember _doing_ things..."

She blushed. "Please focus…my lord…"

He raised an eyebrow, as if the memory suddenly came back, Rin now regretting intently to have brought it up.

"Hmmm, yes, I said things", he replied evasively.

"What things?", pushed Rin, unable to control herself.

Then he displayed wisps of indignation in his expression.

"What is it?", she asked worriedly.

"…Stutters?", he remembered out loud, looking irritated.

"But what about the content, Sesshomaru-sama?", she asked impatiently.

"What about it?"

"Do you remember it?", she asked with desperation.

He was perfectly still for a second, eyes unblinking, aloof-looking, before he answered, "…Yes."

That was a bit cold to her likings. She felt nervous and tried to think of a way to change the subject, but her uneasiness, obviously triggered his own curiosity.

"Why do you inquire about it?", he asked, wearing usual impassiveness.

She blinked and looked away. "…I just wanted to check if it was…still a part of your memory…" , she whispered, looking a bit troubled.

He triggered her attention with a caress of her cheek, unsatisfied of her answer.

"So?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So what?", she asked back, with a small voice, with an embarrassed pout.

"Aside from the graceless stuttering, was it to your satisfaction?", he questioned with a voice lower than his usual fashion.

She glanced up at him, dumbfounded, and actually read what she deciphered as a glint of apprehension in his golden eyes. She couldn't believe it…she felt her eyes water a little.

"I thought…I thought…that you would be angry…", she whispered, looking down.

He frowned. "…Why?"

"…You-you said so many…"

"…Many what?"

"Many…personal things! I thought that…you were going to try to take that back. You were inebriated…"

"…It doesn't make it any less truthful", he answered, looking a tad confused.

Then, he thought she looked like she was going to pass out, face whitening and blinking very quickly. He wasn't quite sure of the reasons justifying all her questionings. Was she dissatisfied because he had reiterated he couldn't feel the same way as her? He needed to find out her sources of torment…

"You didn't respond to my question yet. Were my answers to your satisfaction?", he insisted.

Her hazel eyes turned glossy. Rin made a moved smile, noticing he seemed so unaware of how much what he said meant to her… Maybe this was an example of what Lady Miyah talked about…demons and humans not thinking the same way…

"It exceeded my expectations, my lord", she finally answered with tremors in her voice. "By far…"

He looked puzzled. "You thought I was only interested in your pretty traits?"

She looked down. "I wasn't sure what to expect. You did say that…involvements with demons were _emotionally-detached_…the day after the wedding…"

He looked to his left, in an attempt to conceal his uneasiness. It was part of the things he wished he hadn't said to her…

"…I may…have overstated some things", he confessed, while focusing all his attention on the curtains.

As soon as that escaped his lips, he felt her throw herself in his arms and bury her face against his chest. He looked at her with uncertainty, as he realized she may actually be crying.

"Rin…"

"You have no idea…how much it means to me…that you know it", she whispered with a trembling voice.

"Know…what exactly? What are you talking about?"

She put a hand on his chest and glanced up at him. "That you have a heart too. It's right there and it's beating, just like mine."

He looked stunned but didn't answer, as she just hugged him again. He embraced her back, feeling uncomfortable…for some reason.

"For the record…it is not exactly the same. Your heartbeat is fairly fast", he observed, wanting to bring this to a safe topic of conversation.

She smiled and looked down with a blush. "It beats quicker than usual, because of you."

His traits softened slightly, her admission having a deep, unsettling effect on his mood. Before he could stop himself, he put the tips of his fingers on the upper part of her chest, with a thoughtful frown. "I wonder how it feels…."

"What…what do you mean?", she asked, unable to control the deep crimson blossoming on her cheeks.

"This feeling…so dear to you... What does it feel like?", he asked with genuine curiosity.

She blinked, opened her mouth and closed it. "I-I..didn't expect that question…", she said, looking baffled and touched all at once.

…So he did remember everything, his question implied that he remembered her confession and that he actually cared about it. She looked up at him with an uncertain smile. "It is difficult to talk about…I don't know how I could explain that clearly."

She frowned, trying to think very fast, he was questioning her about love; this felt so unreal! She had to find an explanation that he could understand! And quick! She decided to just rely on facts and precise ideas, rather than on abstract impressions, just like him the night before...

"Obviously, when you…_feel that way_ for someone, what you mostly think about is this person…" She glanced up at him to examine his reaction. "This person becomes by far what is the most important to you...", she hinted, thinking back of things he had said the night before.

He blinked, but remained impassive.

"The feeling in itself is overpowering. It is actually very hard to find precise examples, but it is as if you are inebriated because of this person, but at a much higher scale than simple…sake inebriation…"

She frowned, unsatisfied with her explanation, until a genius idea seemed to cross her mind. "It feels like danger, but in a good way"

He just blinked again, apparently not following her.

"You must know, right? You fight a lot. The feeling you have when an enemy is about to strike…", she added with hesitation.

He remained expressionless, as if his mind was submerged with nothingness. Nope…he was definitely never scared during battles, not that it surprised her…

Then another thought crossed her mind. "It's just a like a fall!" She laughed. "I bet this is actually where the expression comes from!"

His eyes widened a little. "A…fall?"

"Yes! You know, the electrifying feeling when you fall off from something high, like a cliff for instance" She smiled with satisfaction. "Yup, that's it! When you really love someone, you feel an intense sensation…similar, as when you fall from a cliff. It's actually all prickling your insides. Now just imagine that the fear is replaced by an intense joy…"

"Euphoria", he stated, almost instantly, with haunted eyes.

"Yes!", Rin replied with a smile, but then she frowned. "Wait…You can't get it, right? You can fly!"

He stared at her with an indecipherable look, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Rin's eyes widened.

"Oh right! Lady Miyah! Quick, your clothes!", she exclaimed in a whisper.

He frowned in irritation and just opened the door, without bothering with a socially acceptable appearance...resolute to get this over with.

…

The she-wolf, sitting at a table in the living room stared at the dog demon coming out of the dorms, shirtless, looking slightly irritated, with his ward following not far behind. She examined them with mild interest, noticing they came out from the same room, at the same time.

"Lord Sesshomaru…Did I wake you?", she asked nonchalantly.

He frowned in annoyance.

"It matters not", she replied briskly. "I have only come to seek one last permission before you leave."

"What is it?"

"It will be much easier to investigate on the Heartlands as I fancy if I have easy access to your lands. Would you mind signing a permission to let my scouts cross?"

"I see no problem with it, you won't even need permission if your scouts are pure breeds…"

"Yes, but I just wanted to make sure, your people close to the sea are nervous… But yes, obviously, I wouldn't send hanyous to the Heartlands, we do have a few pure breeds around here too anyway", she replied, matter-of-factly. "Though…I fear even our demons will feel disoriented out there, they think differently from those of the lands, but I suppose I should watch my words before I speak, from now on", she added with smugness, glancing at Rin next to him.

He didn't dignify that of an answer, while he approached, her, signing nonchalantly after a brief read.

"So you only ask for access? I thought you would have requested we send some scouts as well…"

"Nah…you already have enough on your back…announcing your treaty to your council", she replied with half a smile. "The Lady of the West does not have a reputation for a kind heart towards humans and hanyous, or so I was told…" Then she stared at Rin with mild interest. "Do you have a good relation with Lady Sasori, Rin?", she asked with curiosity.

Rin blinked. "Much better than you may imply, Lady Miyah…"

The she-wolf noticed Sesshomaru's sceptical expression at Rin's reply. "Oh, really? This surprises me. I hope the phrasing of the treaty won't be troublesome for you, then…"

She rolled her parchment and stood up. "With that, I'm off. You are free to go whatever you please. You will have the luxury to travel on one of the boat that will be securing your waters, my lord…my lady", she said, bowing at them both. Rin felt embarrassed by the gesture and bowed lower.

"It was a pleasure, Lady Miyah", she said formally.

"Don't bother with formalities. I am sure we will see each other soon", the she-wolf replied, raising her visible eyebrow in mild amusement.

…

They were just about to embark, on the magnificent looking warship, with red sails, when her eyes accidentally fell on a stall close to the quay. A flower stall, to be more precise. Rin looked away, but it was already too late, flower vendor spotting her weakness.

"So what will it be, my lady? A red or a white rose?", the old lady vendor inquired with a sly smile.

Sesshomaru looked at Rin wild mild interest.

"N-no thank you", she stammered, looking away shyly.

"Really? No flower for the pretty lady?", the vendor pursued, in a manipulative attempt at finding a male to rise to the bait.

"So what will it be Rin?", insisted Sesshomaru, looking with her with concealed amusement. "Red or white?"

She looked at him sheepishly. "I-I don't need anything", she insisted.

"Will it be the orange one, then?", the inuyoukai counter-attacked. She glanced up at him, feeling miserable. Obviously…he was very aware of her weakness for gracious petals. He knew she wouldn't need much coaxing… She looked at all the flowers scattered on the stall, eyes locking with a rare specimen of tulip, with an intricate shape of petals, with pointy ends and a feather-like texture.

"Or maybe she would prefer a beautiful sunflower, to fit with her yellow attire", suggested the vendor.

Rin didn't answer.

"We do have a ship to catch", observed Sesshomaru, raising a daring eyebrow.

Rin glanced again at him in defeat, and finally let it all out.

"The tulip right there, I've never seen one like it…", she said in a low voice.

"Ahhh, a purple tulip! Such refined tastes! Do you know that purple is the colour of royalty?", asked the vendor with amusement, taking a specimen of it and giving it to her. "A royal flower for a queen of beauty!"

Rin blushed as she took the flower and nodded politely, Sesshomaru just giving the old lady whatever she wanted before departing, then darted an interested sideways glance at Rin.

She was embarrassed to no end, it was the shape of the petals that caught her attention, not the colour! She just hoped her lord wouldn't arrive to the worst conclusions. In the first place, she had every intention to resist, and in the end she left with the flower with a controversial signification…

"Thank you, my lord", she said in an embarrassed smile. "I am spoiled."

"You are."

"You really don't have to cover me with gifts all the time…"

"You enjoy it…", he stated so neutrally, yet with smiling eyes.

She glanced back at him, caught the hint, and smiled back. "Hmm…I suppose you enjoy it too, right?"

"Does it matter?", he asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Her smile widened. "Not really…I was just…curious!", she retorted playfully.

Rin gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stepped on the boat first, leaving him with a frown. The way she had to see right through him, even when he didn't dignify her with clear answers destabilized him. She was the one who was supposed to be easy to read, not him. She wasn't supposed to know covering her with gifts was one of the rare hobby he bothered with, her never disappointing reactions of joy and gratitude something he silently cherished. It was in times passed, one of the only way he had found to keep a bond with the human he had to protect…

He discreetly massaged his forehead as he followed her, taking note he should be careful with his own answers and expressions when she was around…

…

He stared with interest from a distance, as his ward was busy having…what seemed to be a civil conversation with the wind demoness. He was surprised: the communications between the two women had rarely been courteous during their travels. But then again, Rin had mentioned something to his vassals about the importance of having a belly full before getting on the boat earlier…Considering that Tatsumaki wasn't currently hidden somewhere emptying her entrails, it must have worked somehow.

It worked with at least one out of two, Kireru was clinging to the ramps of the boat, looking almost as miserable as in their first travel. Sesshomaru certainly wouldn't be the one to bother with the type of reactions Rin would have at the same sight, such as compassion and worry. He had business with the fox demon. Kireru noticed him and bowed flaccidly.

"My lord, I apologize for my weak condition on water…"

Sesshomaru wasn't going to bother with polite conversation.

"Kireru, Lady Miyah informed me she had very good reasons to think Inu Taisho had come to her with not very honourable intentions, during the war against the cats…"

He suddenly noticed his vassal paling. "She-she did?"

"Yes. I was told my father's travels to Kun'Ketsu were only partially motivated by the war against the felines. Are you aware of this?"

"Yes, I am."

"And you didn't think it relevant I should be informed?", asked Sesshomaru with a frown of annoyance.

"It was only in your best interests. Your ignorance only confirmed to Lady Miyah that you had no responsibility in that story. _It_ wasn't a very brilliant move of the Western Lands towards the Islands…", replied the vassal earnestly.

"I suppose you are talking about the fact that my father hid that a permanent alliance to strengthen the sea would have been dangerous for Kun'Ketsu at the time?"

"Exactly. Inu Taisho tried to deceive the hanyous, by omitting the fact that an alliance with the West would put Kun'Ketsu at odds with the Central Lands, because of the long history of fight for dominance between the Heartlands and the Western Lands. Odds with the Central Lands would also have meant odds with the South and the East, who had cordial relations with Lord Sakuza back then", explained the fox demon with a frown. "It was a very poor move, my lord. Lady Miyah had no difficulty sensing the trap. In fact, I think Inu Taisho made it very easy for her…"

"What do you mean?"

"Lord Inu Taisho purposely gave a poor performance during his meeting with Lady Miyah. He wanted her to find out about the pernicious implications of his proposition, because he didn't want an alliance with Kun'Ketsu at the time."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly in confusion.

"Why did he bother with the travel, then?"

Kireru glanced at his suzerain with knowing eyes. "My lord…We were at war with the Cat Empire back then. Lord Inu Taisho only paid a visit to the hanyous because he was forced to…"

"…So he was compelled to go because of a vote…", Sesshomaru mused out loud with a frown. "It was Hatsuno's notion, was it not?"

The fox displayed self-consciousness. "Actually, it wasn't even him who brought the idea to the council in the first place."

"Who then?"

"It was Lady Sasori's idea. She brought it to the council and had an argument with Inu Taisho about it, in front of everyone. She was of the view that victory over the cats and supremacy of the West should be our prime priorities, and that we couldn't care less about the fate of the hanyou Islands in the long term. Inu Taisho was completely of the opposite view. He had always wanted an alliance with the Islands, but he knew this wasn't the right time, considering the context. Inu Taisho didn't want to deceive Kun'Ketsu: he thought that alliances must be built on solid trust, rather than on opportunism. However, the heated debate caught the vassals' attention and a vote was casted, it was 3 pros and 2 cons."

"You were the other one who voted against it with my father…"

"Yes, us foxes and Inu Taisho are the only ones who cared about the fate of humans and hanyous who would have suffered of the alliance. Baron Hatsuno, Duchess Tatsumaki's predecessor: Baron Orochi, and your cousin all voted for it…"

"Even Tenmaru was on the council back then?", wondered Sesshomaru. He had always thought this cousin was younger than him.

"Of course Sesshomaru-sama, you know your cousin is all your opposite: eager for politics, shy on the battlefield. But he was very young back then and got influenced quite easily by the two barons and your mother: he is indeed affiliated with your mother's blood, not Inu Taisho's. It took him a little while to warm up to your father…"

Sesshomaru frowned, thinking such a council during a war must have been a real pain to manage for his father. He knew his mother hated hanyous very much, his own uneasiness about half-breeds clearly inherited from her, but he didn't think she was such a fanatic of pureblood she would go as far as influence the vassals to vote for such a poor strategic choice…

He smirked: his mother had always taken every opportunity to remind him how irresponsible he had been for years, not attending to these meetings before his father passed away, even though he was of age, but she herself, apparently wasn't the strongest model of rationality when her own manias were involved…He took note of that…

"I personally think the current context is much more timely than when your father was compelled to meet them. Hanyous continue to grow in numbers… treating them like cannon fodder is not astute at all. Being the first demon nation to work with Kun'Ketsu since…eons…will make our lands shine and may even cool off Lady Amane's expansionist ambitions", explained the fox demon, with a thoughtful frown. "At first, I was doubtful you would succeed, because of the grudge Lady Miyah could have kept against the West, but it seems that we have all underestimated your capabilities. I am sure your father would have been proud of you, my lord. You are wise beyond your years…"

Sesshomaru stared at his vassal thoughtfully. Kireru apparently had the impression his actions could partly be motivated by the ambition to get closer to other species, and recognize some rights to half-breeds, but in fact, it was nothing of the sort. Sesshomaru's only intention was to tighten security of the sea, and dealing with Kun'Ketsu was the only option. He did remember Lady Amane's threats from the wedding night and he hadn't taken them lightly. Lady Amane is extremely powerful at the moment, and her attitude at the wedding gave him the impression she may very well have become a reckless lunatic. He knew that his refusal to bend to knee before her was risky and he felt like this deal was the only thing he could do to brace himself for the worst. So really…there were absolutely no higher purposes to his actions. It was either a deal with the half-breeds or complete submission to the blue queen, end of story.

However, he saw no reason to share his thoughts. If Kireru wanted to see some visionary in him, so be it. With a bit of luck, he may even positively influence the others, and then, he shall not be bothered by his mother trying to control his actions in the shadow or other vassals trying to defend their own agenda with annoying debates and votes.

…

Rin could hear seagulls at the horizon, meaning that they would land soon. It was good news. The beautiful ship they travelled on was moving swiftly, even without consistent wind, which meant they didn't feel the waves as much, and they all resisted not so badly to the seasickness until now. However, it seemed that the tide was getting stronger as they got closer to the Western Lands…and now Kireru was literally dying, and Tatsumaki has started to demonstrate some signs of sickness as well…

Rin walked on the deck, deep in thoughts. She had spent most of the travel chit chatting with many people on the boat, and she had learned a few things about the demon world. She had learned there were Southern Lands before, but Sesshomaru had conquered half of it barely a year ago, while the Central Lands took the other half, which had been a source of the tension between both territories. She also learned the Northern Lands, now a part of Lady Amane's empire, had been the place of many fights recently. Apparently, some towns from the Northern Territories were unsatisfied with Amane's leadership and were rebelling frequently. Rin was interested to hear that, and wondered if Sesshomaru was aware of all the instability going on there. She should talk to him about it…

A conversation with Tatsumaki, about Katashi and Kachikimaru's most recent escapades reminded her of the two lecherous vassals' existence, and then she got worried, because she remembered Lady Kizuisen. With Sesshomaru's swift departure for the south after the wedding, and their sudden travels to Kun'Ketsu shortly after, she had completely forgotten about her…So she searched for Sesshomaru, hoping he was in a good mood…

And there he was, leaning on a ramp, glancing at the sea, silver hair blown by the breeze. He had found back his usual dignity…previous drunkenness and hangover now completely part of the past. In a way, she was glad. Though she felt moved he had shown himself in more vulnerable positions around her, she was still unused to it, and she was still unsure how to behave when he wasn't entirely in control. After seeing him so obnoxiously inebriated, and then sleeping very deeply, seemingly in a nightmare just before he woke up, with sweat on his brows…and impossible to awaken …she found his impassiveness and cold exterior reassuring…

However, he looked deep in thoughts, and she wasn't sure it was the right time to disturb him. She was about to leave him to his musings, when he finally spoke up.

"What is it Rin?", he asked, nor dry, neither soft, just…impassive.

She assumed he wasn't up for small talks.

"My lord…I've been wondering…What is going on at the eastern frontiers right now?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. Why?"

"Well…I was thinking of the union between Katashi and Kizuisen…"

He frowned. _That…_

"My answer stays unchanged. Nothing is going on."

"Well…Kizuisen did request for a cancelation…"

"Yes, she did…", he replied evasively, not prone to add details.

Then Rin wasn't sure what to answer, Sesshomaru did look bored with the topic, so she just went for the truth to get this over with.

"I talked to her at the wedding. She asked me to talk to you about it. Maybe I should have brought it up before…"

"No…not really", he retorted, totally disinterested.

Rin repressed a smile. His lack of enthusiasm for marital issues was somewhat entertaining, but she had to keep going.

"Well…I've been thinking about it, and, isn't there a risk there will be new conflicts and problems at the eastern frontiers if this issue is not solved for good?", she asked with genuine curiosity.

"They are behaving accordingly since our little visit… In fact, I intend to stay away from these _pigs_ in the future and I advise you to do the same…"

Rin giggled, amused at his plain disdain. Sesshomaru darted a sideways glance, pleased that he had succeeded making her laugh.

"Please, my lord, I am just trying to be nice here!", she retorted with fake indignation.

"Why do you care about Lady Kizuisen, Rin? This woman owes more to you than you owe her…", he commented, back to impassiveness. "I don't even understand why you bother honouring her request…"

"Well I just thought that…it was the right thing to do, when someone is in need…"

"Many subjects will harass you of the sort. Unless you have very good reasons to grant any of their requests, which exclude simple _generosity _or_ righteousness_…"

Rin felt like the two last words were spoken with contempt, which made her a bit uneasy.

"What's wrong about these virtues?"

"Nothing, but people at court are greedy and without morals ", Sesshomaru retorted almost instantly. "If you give them the chance, they will abuse of your kind soul until there is nothing left from it."

Rin almost shivered at that thought. "How am I supposed to decide what to do, then?"

"Think interests, Rin. Always. Your interests, the interests of the people dear to you…"

"So…you're telling me to be selfish?", she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, for your own sake. When you receive a request, think about how it would influence your personal interests. Most demons work this way. Even Kizuisen must follow this principle", he said, looking at Rin with great curiosity.

Rin gulped, knowing where this was going. Oh Kami, of course! Kizuisen had asked her to talk to Sesshomaru about her marriage, in exchange for gossips about his affair with Amane! She actually blushed, when she realized she had unconsciously thought of her own desires even then, her curiosity so intense after she had seen the blue witch take Sesshomaru in her arms at her arrival… that she had been unable to resist the offer! Now that Rin thought of it, this demon-like logic did make sense, and most humans were applying too, only a few righteous people like her, Kaede and Kagome cared enough to give, without any expectations in return, and even then, it was not always the case…

She felt like Sesshomaru's advices had soiled all her morals…Years of learning of what was supposed to be right and wrong…to be told at the end that none of this will be useful in her daily life!

"Rin"

She was startled, and looked back at him sheepishly. Her shoulders dropped in defeat. He was going to be so mad if he found out she was spilling his precious time because of her hunger for gossips…

"Well…let's say she did manage to propose something that suited my fancy", she whispered, looking down in shame.

He raised an eyebrow, silently inviting her to talk more, but she was so afraid that talking about Lady Amane would make him angry…She didn't want to ruin his day with bad memories...

"For your own interest, and mine, I'd rather not talk about it", she added cautiously.

He smirked. "…Okay."

"Okaayy…?"

"Though I admit that I am curious, you don't have to tell me everything …", he explained evasively.

_Phew…_

"However…"

Her shoulders tensed.

"I have much more pressing matters to attend than this domestic nonsense…", he retorted with slight annoyance. "If you personally have good motives to support Kizuisen's request, I suggest that you call a council meeting on your own to see how their issues can be resolved."

Her eyes widened. "I can do that?"

"As a fellow member of the council, yes. I suggest you consult the manual of procedure for more details…"

"…Oh…is it long?", she asked innocently.

He raised an eyebrow. She shouldn't have said that.

"Whatever, I will have a good reason to skip on The Pink Orchid, I can't spend my time reading that…", she commented with a frown.

"Hmph…bored of steamy literature?", he asked with wisps of derision.

She blushed. "There are 400 pages to this thing! I read 100 pages and I feel like it's the same thing since the beginning…I was hoping for some sort of story or…"

"Well…it was a present from my cousin. What did you expect?"

She sighed. "…I suppose you are right…"

"Since the number of pages to the books you consult seem to be a matter of importance, I would advise not to read the manual of procedures entirely, just read the parts you need, or else you will spend your time left on the council tearing your eyes out on this piece of boredom…", he advised, apparently wanting to avoid her pointless torture.

Rin frowned, as she remembered almost half of the moon cycle would be passed by the time they would be back at the castle. Already!

"And please…hold this meeting while I am gone to the Northern borders, I do not want to attend to it, if possible, I don't even want to hear of it", he requested with annoyance, yet almost in a pleading manner.

She grinned. "Duly noted, my lord…", patting his shoulder, then she made a sad face. "It will help keep myself occupied for a short while during your absence…"

He looked at her thoughtfully. "…I could help with that…"

"What do you mean?", she inquired, intrigued.

"I could lend you useful literature if you want…"

"Really? You want to assist me in my learning?", she asked with a beaming smile. "It is so kind of you!"

And then she briefly hugged him way more heartedly that he had anticipated. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, thinking she looked much happier at this moment, than when he had bought her the flower. How odd…

"Why the sudden outburst of joy?", he inquired curiously.

"Well…I didn't think you would do anything of the sort! Since you are so busy all the time. I thought it would be your mother who would help me with that…"

He didn't say a word, and just frowned deeply, clearly expressing his unhappiness. Then, she realized she had said something …very wrong…Not the odd rivalry with his mother again!

"Why do you always consult her for these things?", he inquired reproachfully, almost imperious.

Her eyes widened. "I-I-I…I never went to her!"

"Yet I caught you conspiring a few times…", he added suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

"She comes to me before I have the chance to do anything else! I swear I never meant to…conspire or whatever…", she replied sheepishly. "She is the one who advised me to stay at the breaks, so I could be there when you make important decisions!"

He frowned. Now, it was true he always chased away the superfluous crowds when he had to think… His mother's reasonableness with Rin had always intrigued him, but he had never thought much about it…

He stared at Rin pensively, trying to comprehend what were his mother's intentions towards her. She certainly didn't want her to become her successor…it was unmistakable…Why then was she trying so hard to befriend his…_ward_…if he could still call her that…

Then it struck him: the plain evidence. His mother just wanted to befriend Rin, so she could control her better.

He thought back of the day of the wedding, how annoyed she had looked when he had fetched Rin before the guests' arrival, as if she had wanted to monitor Rin's comings and goings…How so very angry she had been when Rin sat next to Tenmaru and in front of him…in _her_ seat…And she had displayed annoyance each time he had danced with Rin also…In fact, she displayed annoyance quite often, when Rin's behaviour was out of her grasp…

Did she saw in Rin a threat she needed to tame?

He repressed a smirk… Most certainly…And he had naively thought her only preoccupation at the time was to make sure no unexpected hanyou would trouble the court. No, of course not, her fears were much deeper than that. His mother was afraid to be replaced by…a mortal…Humans are no better than livestock for her, did she seriously felt threatened by Rin?

"My lord…Why are you so suspicious of her?", Rin asked with confusion.

He wondered just how much he should tell her.

"I merely try to understand her motives…", he replied pensively.

"Maybe she just wants to be helpful?", supposed Rin, full of good will.

His traits displayed deep cynicism. "I doubt so."

Rin looked at him, a bit troubled. "Sesshomaru-sama, she's your mother! I mean, she raised you, she can't be that bad…"

Yes, she had raised him...partly… Years of unlearning it had taken to change his harmful ways of thinking. Years!

"Her intentions in your regards, and your own interests are two different things. Never forget that", he warned in a low voice.

Rin's traits softened in disappointment. "I think she is a very wise demoness, and she has been…mostly kind in my regards. I am not sure why you fight so much, but I'm sure that deep down, she cares for you…"

She saw his jaw tighten, and he looked away to glance at the horizon, apparently in disagreement with her attempts at soothing things up with his mother.

"Rin…do you remember what she did, the morning after the wedding?", he asked placidly.

She frowned and looked down. "You mean…the embarrassing interrogatory?"

"Yes. You see, this little theatrical scene was only a very small tip of the iceberg…" He glanced back at her, narrowing his eyes, as if remembering dark memories. "You haven't seen yet what she is capable of..."

Rin stared at him with unease. He looked deadly serious. She just nodded, aware that he must have very good reasons to be so distrustful of his own mother. She did have her own doubts on Lady Sasori's intentions sometimes…

"Well, you are the one playing the bird of ill omen now", she warned with a small smile.

"Hmph…I suppose you are right", he replied softly, almost apologetic. He was being silly: he didn't want her to worry pointlessly.

He glanced at her lips and dove in for a soft kiss, the chaste type, diverting her from her concerns with a fluttering of her own heart…

Then she realized that truly the first thing that she had taught him had nothing to do with the kiresu: kissing her tenderly had been the first thing, and he applied the new knowledge in very convenient moments, it seemed…making her feel all this warm chills, flying to the sky… demonstrating levels of affection he didn't even know he had in him yet. She broke the kiss reluctantly.

"So…what will you teach me, Sesshomaru-sama?", she asked with a whisper full of glee, as he placed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I do have a few things in mind…", he murmured mysteriously, amber eyes displaying hints of amusement at her sudden cravings for his wisdom, before finding back their usual coolness. "Just remember that my only desire is to protect you. My door should be the first you knock at, anytime you want."

She blushed a bit. "Well…I wouldn't bother you with silly questions in the middle of the night…"

"Why not?", he asked in a whisper, with the ghost of a smile on his lips.

She blushed more. His suggestion did come with unspoken implications… she knew that knocking at his chambers' door at the middle of the night certainly wouldn't result in interactions involving words…

She smiled and without thinking, wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"What would I do…without you…Sesshomaru-sama", she wondered, almost sadly.

Before he could think of an answer, she quenched her sudden urges for gratitude, locking lips with tenderness...switching fairly quickly to fervour as he stroked gently her cheek with his thumb, and held her waist to bring her closer to him, wanting to feel her quickening heartbeat against his chest. He sighed through her now ardent kiss, shamelessly letting her take the lead and silently appreciating her growing boldness…

She broke the kiss again, at the sound of people passing by, he found it amusing that she still cared about these details, but considering more reserve would be mandatory at the castle…he couldn't chastise her for her prude reflexes…

"You know…when I spoke to Lady Miyah during the party, she said we were…complementary of some sort, during the negotiations." She paused, a bit uncertain, while looking at the sea. "I sure wish we could work like that again…"

"What do you mean?"

"…We fought for the same thing, at the same time…_together_…", she smiled, as she laid her cheek against his shoulder. "…Like a team…"

His trait softened as he absently slid a hand in her hair.

_Like a team…like equals…_

He thought about her pretty writing next to his…

He frowned. These hanyous really succeeded twisting up his ways of thinking, and hers as well, apparently. He supposed he needed some time to recover of their hazardous influences…

…

A meeting was held as soon as the travellers stepped foot inside the mansion, the Lady Mother and the remaining vassals eager to know what happened, and Sesshomaru seemed to be looking forward to share the results of their travels.

Lady Sasori listened to the _children_ talk for a while about this deal they considered so precious for the Western Lands.

Her son spoke first, barely mentioning the fights and the clues about Lady Amane's involvement in the plunders on the Islands (which was for her, an evident clue of potential new conflicts with the empress in the long term), yet he explained with much more details how "the conditions were indeed to their best to conclude an alliance with Kun'Ketsu"…how the crazy she-wolf was "in fact, a sane leader"…

He explained how Rin had played an important role in persuading the dirty-blooded she-wolf to reconsider her uneasiness towards demons from the lands, but then, Rin had mentioned how Sesshomaru had been perfectly in control during the negotiations. And there were more flowers thrown back and forth, while her thoughtless son and his ward exchanged enamoured glances.

Everyone who had read the terms could only applause, the little annoying toad mentioning with exaggerated pride how Sesshomaru had fooled them into accepting a big proportion of recruits. Her son only shrugged, mentioning that the hanyou lady will not see the difference anyway: considering how the Western Lands' warriors were superior to her hanyou fighters. Lady Sasori could only frown: she couldn't believe they were going to spill resources training recruits for the she-wolf. How humiliating!

The baron Hatsuno was satisfied with the deal, congratulating her son and his ward with deep bows, asserting how a highway was a low price, compared to the tremendous advantages of a full protection of the seashore, and mentioning that at least, the trespassing will be orderly and predictable. An old fool he was. It wasn't the trespassing in itself that unnerved his people the most, it was the fact that it was human and hanyou trespassing! How could he have forgotten?! A concentrated path full of human and half-breeds was certainly not going to solve his problems…

But the little toad was truly the worst, covering them with praise endlessly, saying nonsenses such as "nothing less could be expected from the very wise Lord Sesshomaru and his all so diligent Rin", while Nozomi was clapping hands and cheering stupidly, Kireru's making detailed arguments on the long term benefits of this deal (Sasori hated that fox) and even Tatsumaki acknowledging that this deal "will calm down the blue pain for a while" (that female warrior as classy as usual)…Really…everyone looked very pleased.

Everyone but her. All a bunch of blind idiots they were. This deal was a terrible, rash move.

Her son wasn't thinking clearly…She could see it, since they were back…There were little glances of complicity between him and his ward before, once in a while when they thought they weren't watched, but he was even worse now, not even pretending to hide his infatuation for his pretty little human, never-ending whispers to her ear each time he wasn't the one talking, while she giggled silently at whatever he said, grinning dumbly at him.

They just wouldn't stop staring at each other, her son not even sitting properly, his seat much too close to his ward, his back slightly leaned in his little human's direction to make the silly whispers easier…

His sick way to stare at her…the half-breeds had corrupted his mind, making him think it was acceptable to consider his mortal-blooded ward worthy of the most honourable title a woman could obtain on his lands. Such a fool…even making her sign as his consort! And this had visible impact on the little human, Rin sitting abnormally comfortably, glancing at everyone with unusual confidence, as if she owned the place …

This little human was not stupid, the Lady Mother had to admit. She was green and naïve, but a quick learner…

From the beginning, Sasori had seen in her a useful ally for Sesshomaru…She didn't even mind if she became her son's lover. In fact, courtesans of all sorts could become quite powerful in a castle, involved in political affairs, knowing every secrets of their master. Courtesans could actually have more influence than official consorts, in some situations. After a few years, Rin could have become this type of powerful woman…a Lady in the shadow…

The Lady Mother would have accepted that. She knew her son cared deeply for his ward, and she had thought that she could show some open-mindedness, considering how difficult it was for him to find a woman he liked…She didn't even care, he could have done whatever he wanted with her, even a half-breed bastard if he so wished, yet that didn't prevent him to fulfill his duty, which involved taking an acceptable consort and making a pure-blooded heir at once!

The Lady of the West stared at the human with contempt. No…Rin wasn't stupid…Her son, like his father before him, might be infatuated and blinded because of a mortal woman, completely oblivious to the disapproving looks of his mother, but the little human had noticed her stares at them since the beginning…She glanced quite a few times back at her, little grins for her son transforming into a fearful expression as soon as her hazel eyes met her citrines. Yes, Rin knew her place. And she knew very well that she had gone too far…

Lemony eyes narrowed…Yes…on the contrary of her idiotic son, the little human was very aware how wrong her actions were. Maybe that if she was informed of the risks behind their juvenile actions, the situation could still be helped…

The Lady Mother almost sighed in relief, as this horrible meeting finally came to an end.

She stood up, determined to remind them of their duty.

…

Rin had seen it, just before the meeting…how the Lady Mother hardly hid her surprise when Sesshomaru had announced her the mission had been a success. She had asked how it was possible, considering Lady Miyah's impetuous attitude towards Inu Taisho, Sesshomaru simply retorting the hanyou leader wasn't so bad, and even suggested his father must have been "very badly advised" back then…at that the Lady Mother looked infuriated.

Afterwards, Rin got away from them as soon as she could, not wanting to be involved in their familial fights…and the meeting started, thank the Kamis. However, she knew it could only last so long …She had seen Lady Sasori glaring at them during the entire meeting, watching their every moves as if there were some sort of preys. Rin had a terrible feeling of unease… She often got involved in the bickering and she felt that today, the threat was unavoidable and would be more than simple squabbling…

And as the meeting ended, and everyone left swiftly with cheerful talks, Rin saw it coming…white and purple skirts facing her before she could get away…gracious, yet, lethal shadow of the beautiful demoness looming over her.

"Rin…We should talk", Lady Sasori announced with her typical icy smile.

Rin gulped, sensing the danger.

"We've travelled all day. Your chit chat can wait, mother", retorted Sesshomaru dryly

"I actually have to talk to you too, my son. Maybe we can do this all three together", Lady Sasori said, with an even and phlegmatic tone. "Little toad, may you please close the door as you leave?"

Rin gulped another time. Sesshomaru frowned in annoyance.

"But I wasn't going anywhere my…"

"Little toad…the door", she insisted frostily.

"Leave, Jaken", insisted Sesshomaru in a similar fashion.

Jaken just nodded and went to the door, leaving almost in a run. Rin noticed how he had glanced at her fearfully before closing it. And then…Rin knew what was about to happen…The air growing thick, charged with electricity as if a nasty typhoon was coming. She definitely knew what that meant. There were furious dog demons in the room and their smothering anger was pulverising the air she needed so much. She could hardly breathe!

Sesshomaru and his mother were about to get into a fight…the real type of fights…and she was going to witness it. She felt dread taking over. She had heard some rumours about their arguments, and she didn't wish to see this…at all…but it seems…as if…

"Tell me Rin, his smell is all over you. Have you started mating?"

"Mother, how dare you?!"

As if she was going to be part of it…Rin felt her face whiten. Sesshomaru was already loosing his temper…it was bad!

"Oh please, son…You think I didn't notice how you two look at each other, since you are back?", the Lady Mother inquired reproachfully, then she glanced at him with wisps of irritation. "Inu-Taisho and Izayoi, all over again."

Rin noticed Sesshomaru did look a bit taken aback at that, but recovered almost instantly.

"I don't care what you eyes want to see, what you are asking about is none of your business", Sesshomaru spat back, with icy irritation.

Lady Sasori ignored her son and just looked back at Rin with a penetrating gaze, as if trying to glance at her soul through her skin. Rin just stared back at the Lady Mother's lemony eyes, knowing she wouldn't get out of this one playing dumb.

Rin knew she could just blurt a "No, we did not mate" to the Lady Mother to avoid an escalade and get this over with…But then, she thought back of what Sesshomaru had told her… _"Her intentions in your regards, and your own interests…are two different things… Never forget that"_

"Rin, answer", ordered the Lady Mother.

"…_my only desire is to protect you_."

"…_my dearest…"_

She felt her heart flutter.

Yes, Sesshomaru was right, it was indeed none of her business. Rin shook her head.

"I am sorry, Sasori-sama, I-I'd rather not talk about it", she mumbled, a tad weaker than she had meant.

"So you do have something to reproach yourself?", she counter-attacked with knowing eyes.

"Please…You…you can't force me to answer to every one of your questions all the time", replied Rin with a trembling voice, a bit upset. She felt a warm hand grab one of hers under the table and hold it tight. She felt her heartbeat slow down a little.

"Mother, we both know she shouldn't be here", Sesshomaru said, dangerously quiet.

The Lady Mother glanced back at him, with daggers in her eyes, Sesshomaru just replicated her own attempt at intimidation. Rin just looked down, scared to death of this war of glares.

"You see my son, I was only trying to understand the reasons behind…this…", she said with wisps of scorn, pointing at Rin's signature on the treaty, still lingering on the table.

Rin felt her lip quiver a little. She knew she shouldn't have done that.

"We told you already. This is not our doing", retorted Sesshomaru stoically.

"And you did not have the guts to correct such an insulting mistake, I bet?", Sasori asked back with irritation.

"I saw no point, it has no binding value for either party", he answered, successfully hiding his annoyance.

The Lady Mother frowned deeply at her son's nonchalance. He must be trying to control himself to avoid looking like an idiot in front of his little ward. It mattered not.

"What about the symbols, my son? What message do you give to this dirty-blooded she-wolf? That we are lands open to cross-breeding ?", she inquired with cold spite.

"We are neutral on these matters", he reminded matter-of-factly. "Besides, I wasn't going to start a fight over an insignificant detail, before such an important transaction."

"This treaty is everything but neutral! It's not a victory at all, if you have to kiss their feet to get what you want!", the Lady Mother spat back, losing all trace of her usual casualness.

Rin had to try hard not to startle. She had rarely witnessed the Lady Mother truly losing her cool.

"Kiss their feet?! Have you read the terms? They're offering us so much power it is almost an annexation!", Sesshomaru retorted, unnerved.

"An annexation exactly! If you wanted an annexation so much, why haven't you done it with the right side, my son! Why with the she-wolf wild queen, instead of Lady Amane?!"

His jaw tightened, at the sound of that cursed name. "Amane doesn't want to give power to the Western Lands, she means to conquer us!", Sesshomaru shot back, now openly angered.

"Yes…I know, but what is best between pacific annexation or possible extermination I wonder?", the Lady Mother asked, feigning naivety.

"Did you truly just say that? Can you hear yourself right now?!", he inquired through clenched teeth, raging with anger. Rin felt goosebumps on her skin.

"Yes, I hear myself quite well, my son, thank you", said the Lady Mother, frowning. "You seem to think Lady Amane only wants to destroy us… yet I still wonder…Where is your certainty coming from? Also, the day of the wedding, did you even try to negotiate reasonable terms for a union with Amane before starting to _flirt_ with your _human_?!"

Rin was startled. Lady Sasori had never called her that. She saw Sesshomaru take a deep breath to reduce his infuriation, as if he was trying not to jump in his mother's face.

"No. I haven't", he said with dangerous quietness.

"Yes exactly. You preferred to taunt her, and then let her propose insaneness so you could throw a tantrum over it, instead of negotiating so wisely like you pretend you can do. You step willingly on your pride for the filthy she-wolf, but not for the most powerful demoness alive?"

"You know as much as I do that _she_ has become a lunatic unable to entrust power or show respect to anyone…", Sesshomaru snarled.

"I know that. But look at yourself now…doing deals with half-breeds…and even arming mortals in my back!", she exclaimed, words getting louder and louder, now close to screaming. "Even making your little human sign as Lady of the West?! What are you doing to our empire!? What…_craziness_ is pervading your mind !?"

Sesshomaru took a few seconds to digest the accusations; trying very hard not to give in to full anger.

"The idea of making an alliance with Kun'Ketsu is not new at all. My father has also made several deals with humans in the past, or has your senile mind forgotten?", Sesshomaru spat back, with cold fury. "Seriously, what has gotten into you?"

"My first concern is your juvenile attitude, every time I see you it's getting worse!", she retorted with contempt. "And there is also…This!", she said throwing a letter on the table. "Written by Amane's hand. Nothing less!"

Sesshomaru frowned in confusion. "What is it?"

"She wrote to us while you were gone. She talked to her snakes, like she said she would! She is not declaring a war, or anything of the sort, like in your inane speculations. She's asking us for a choice! But with your deal with the dirty-bloods of Kun'Ketsu, I truly do not know what option we have left!"

"Why don't you start with the beginning? What does she says?"

Lady Sasori sighed in frustration. "What is the point if it's already over? Whatever we say now, there is no way we are ever going to be in her good graces, with alliances with the half-breeds and filthy human villagers! And with _her_ who signed as your Lady, it's even worse!", she ended in a shout.

"Will you just stop with the signature? This document is not even public…", Sesshomaru shrugged off with annoyance.

"It matters not, if Lady Amane sees it or not, either way, our image is tarnished by these filthy deals…Amane's letter could have been our way out of an open conflict, but you ruined it before we even had a chance! We are the belligerent fools, now! She wins again!"

Sesshomaru just grabbed the letter and read it, and narrowed his eyes as he finished it.

"Hmph."

"Yes…laugh, my son…laugh at your idiocy", commented the Lady Mother, with less shouts and more exasperation.

"No, I laugh at your delusion, mother…", he retorted, with a low voice, and then he glanced up, with fire in the eyes. " There is no deal there. It's a threat!", Sesshomaru shouted, throwing violently the piece of paper on the table, startling Rin.

"This is your problem…you see everything the wrong way, since _she_ is here", Sasori said, pointing at Rin accusingly. "You'd rather save ants than your own skin!"

"Don't involve Rin in this!", he murmured, voice hoarse with infuriation.

"What is your next imbecility I wonder? Wrap her in our house's furs? Bring her to your bed maybe?", the Lady Mother asked innocently.

He felt his teeth grinding together at her last question and one of his hands hold very tightly the armchair; it was a miracle it was still in place. He closed his eyes a moment, before opening them back, lethal coldness over his features.

"Sometimes I wonder what bothers you the most between interbreeding or your own _uselessness_, mother…"

The Lady Mother glared dangerously at her son, Sesshomaru had apparently stricken her with success.

"Useless, you say? I could actually be useful if you bothered to listen, once in a while! Your deafness will make you fly to the moon before you know it!"

He sneered. "Tales of apocalypse again, that's the best you've got?"

The Lady Mother slammed her hands on the table.

"You are out of control, Sesshomaru! You've grown mad like you dead father!", she screamed with open fury.

"Look who's talking?! Why don't you go scream your insanities elsewhere? I have enough of your nonsense!", he shouted back, voice raspy with anger.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and then she sighed in resignation. "…Soon enough you will understand how right I am", she said in a low voice, walking away.

Before she turned the knob, she glanced back at Sesshomaru.

"One last thing…I believe it relevant to remind you that Lady Amane shouldn't be your main source of concern, if you seriously think of transforming us into a perverse half-breed nation", she said in a low voice full of threats. "Your vassals may be as good as gold with your little human, but these are all Inu Taisho's former pawns. They are not representative of your people. I swear if you ever take a mortal as first consort, it won't be Amane who will be the first to knock at our doors with her armies…it will be your own subjects", she spat with unsettling indifference.

And then she left the room, almost calmly, as if they had spoken of the weather, not even slamming the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Rin took a deep breath, yet some trembling took control of her limbs, overwhelmed at the Lady Mother speaking of scenarios she didn't even dare to think about herself. Her as…Lady of the West…Lady Sasori was afraid of that? A hanyou nation?! And what about this letter, and Sesshomaru wanting to save…_ants_?! She glanced back at him, who had thoughtful frown breaking his cold demeanour.

"My lord…what is the meaning of this?", she whispered worriedly. "What is going on with Lady Amane?"

"Nothing", he answered curtly, grabbing the letter roughly and securing it in a pocket before she had a chance to see. "Don't worry about it."

Rin looked at him anxiously. He answered with knowing eyes.

"You will know in due time. This is trivial…a senseless request that will be denied", he replied evasively, not inclined at all to trouble her with what he just learned about. He glanced at her with slight frustration in his frown. "My mother just makes a mountain of the treaty with Kun'Ketsu, because of her irrational hatred towards mixed bloods."

"…I…I've never seen her like that", whispered Rin, crossing her arms in agitation.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and indulged himself with a sigh of exasperation. It could have been worse…at least no objects were thrown this time…

"…Just forget what you saw…", he advised after a while.

"She…talked like this treaty was a terrible mistake, like…like the signature was the end of the world…", Rin thought out loud. "Maybe I should have requested for …"

Then she stopped talking as Sesshomaru slid an arm around her shoulders in a comforting manner. She instinctively closed her eyes at the contact of his warmth.

"Don't bother", he whispered in a soothing manner. "Let her complain…she always gets ill-tempered when things do not go her way... "

Rin laid her forehead against his chest, trying to soothe herself with his reassuring presence, but she was having a hard time, the threats she just heard about…were hard to erase from her mind, especially since she felt responsible for at least part of them…

Rin didn't see Sesshomaru glare at the door, silently brooding over his mother's exaggerated reactions about the treaty. He knew Rin's signature could vex her, but he didn't think her response would be so extreme… putting back into question his own sanity, accusing him of wanting to create a hanyou nation, among many other nonsenses. His mother's apprehensions about Rin's future definitely are…even more developed than he previously thought…

He glanced at the table again, at Rin's signature…the symbolic pun sounding so sweet in hanyou territory, transforming in his own domain into a vain…bitter-tasting fantasy…

He wondered if he should actually be concerned about her safety…

As if sensing his concerns, he felt her leave his embrace and glance at his frown again, but he certainly wasn't going to share his apprehensions…for her own peace of mind. She still knew nothing of the Lady of West's true wrath and it was better off this way. She was just starting to experience the madness he had to cope with on a quotidian basis…and she will have many other matters to deal with in the near future…

…End of chapter…

Yeh…I know…another chapter ending with something that can only trigger attention. What da hell is in that letter ?! Why is Sesshomaru hiding it like this?! Oh no Rin don't worry there is nothing in there…hmmm yeahh right…

…I know you all missed Lady Amane dearly right? Oh don't kid around I know you did ! I'm sure you can't wait to hear more about her!

Ahem…I realize there really wasn't that much action … it was more of a transitional chapter…The two next ones will not drag on blah blah and POVs like this one but yeah…I shall not say more, I WILL NOT give clues or anything because…yeah because lol .

Yeah sorry, I am a bit lazy and will not answer anonymous reviews…I just spent my afternoon working on this and I want to update at once! But I shall be more talkative for the next one, I promise…

Now…you know what to do now… ;)


	16. A Bird in a Cage

A/N: Look who's back already, even though she just made crazy overtime hours! I hope the brain cells I have in less didn't affect the quality…

Some unconcealed inspirations of A Song of Ice and Fire…not that it's the first time anyway, but there are quite a few in this one.

Enjoy!

Chapter 16 : A Bird in a Cage

Powerful sunrays beamed on the young mortal woman, as she kept herself busy with an absurd occupation…according to many uninvited observers.

Guards, servants, some idle nobles…many of them couldn't help but glance at the grotesqueness: the Lord of the Western Land's ward holding an innocent bird with a broken leg, in an attempt to heal it with an odd human invention. Some snickered at the sight, others whispered with either annoyed, or offended expression on their facial traits.

Rin ignored them all, as she was busy building a small shelter of straw for the innocent creature she would nurture for the following weeks.

Usually, the people at court only display respect towards her. All guards knew they had to open the doors for her… maids were never to question the appropriateness of her behaviour or her looks, because her almighty protector wouldn't allow it.

Rin enjoyed this ultimate respect that she owned to Sesshomaru. Because of him, she could expect constant and rigorous regard at all times…

…Except maybe in one type of situation…

Each times she did a new,unexpected –and typically human- thing in front of_ them, _thingthat they had never seen before…she noticed that they would express such a genuine mix of surprise and disdain…

In fact, the reactions of the servants around her, while she tried to help the little bird, not only established this trend, but also confirmed what she had suspected for a while…

They don't like her. They loathed her. Each time she reminded them of her humanity…they couldn't help but despise.

She hadn't noticed it before, or at least, she pretended not to see, but since the talk with Lady Mother, she started to acknowledge many unpleasant things, such the servants' hatred for her human habits…

But there was another fact her naive mind hadn't been ready to recognize until then…one important fact…

This castle wasn't made for a human to live in it.

Of course, it was beautiful with seasonal flowers and magnificent draperies, and comfortable, she couldn't believe she had slept on a futon or on the ground all these years…

However, she didn't always have a good night of sleep. Many demons do not sleep every night, and sometimes, when most servants and guards decide to skip on rest, they would wake her at night with laughter and hubbub, as if quietness was not something to be expected daily. But that alone was a trivial matter…

She had troubles eating. In fact, food was only served once at night, because many demons do not even eat every day…Of course, the cooks knew of her needs and the most good-willed ones would prepare a meal when they would see her around, without even the need for Rin to ask. However, she wasn't around all the time. She felt odd, eating alone in plain sight. So sometimes, especially when she was left to herself, she would skip these unofficial bothers. She even skipped dinner once in a while…In fact…twice she hadn't shown up to dinner in the past three days, her lord was rarely there, and she didn't feel at ease around the Lady Mother anymore.

But the worst thing of all…was that she had no freedom. She was never allowed to leave the mansion without her lord, because of wild demons lurking. How odd… these savage creatures were apparently smart enough to recognize the Lord of the Western Lands, all his guards, vassals and demonic mounts and avoid attacking them, yet, they were unable to distinguish the lord's smell on her…unable to acknowledge her right to be. She was no mate of his, and she was human at that! She was nothing but a snack when she was out of these walls, so, her only occasions out were when he offered her to do so. Rin felt like a pet sometimes…

She started to wonder if she will be capable to deal with this lifestyle until her last breath.

But each time this sickening doubt she didn't want to think about crept in, like all the other repulsive thoughts pervading her mind since the Lady Mother's outburst (thoughts, mostly about her being a human in a demon lord's mansion), she found some hobby to keep her mind occupied. She was very glad she had a creative mind, because there were many things to busy herself with within these walls…

Her occupation at the moment was the little bird she had just found. Rin was a decent healer, she had helped Kaede many times, back at the village…Why should she let that little frail creature possibly die of a broken leg, when it was so simple to treat? She didn't care if the servants thought it was ridiculous. It wasn't because the little animal was mortal that it didn't deserve a second chance at life.

"What is it?", wondered a curious voice.

Rin glanced up at Nozomi and smiled. Nozomi the kitsune…friendly to humans…a vassal…

_The vassals…all Inu Taisho's pawns, she said…_

"It's a splint", replied Rin with a friendly smile.

"What?"

"It's something that will keep the leg straight while it heals", explained Rin, matter-of-factly.

"So, you can really save the bird?"

"Of course Nozomi, what do you think?", replied Rin with a wider smile. "I was healer, back in my village!"

"…It's true…", the kitsune remembered. "Sometimes, I forget you're even human."

"Well…I am", Rin felt compelled to remind.

"To me, you don't look like one"

"What do I look like, then, if I am not human-looking?"

"I-I don't know...you're unique…sort of", the kitsune replied naively, a reminder of her young age. "You're a human, but not a typical human…You're you", she concluded.

Now that reminded Rin of someone else…someone who had ordered her to _be herself _and had shown plain disapproval at her attempts at blending in in her first days in this castle.

Rin gently put down the little bird in its shelter, and grabbed the huge book she had brought to read outside…

"Nah, let me get this for you, you have your hands full with the little chick!", Nozomi exclaimed, taking the massive piece of literature.

Rin thanked her as they walked towards the herons. The inner courtyard was a very nice place to read in…She needed that, with the endless books Sesshomaru had lent her. She had almost killed herself with the _Manual of Procedure_ three days ago, and didn't understand the point of _The Tale of the Heike_, a weird work of prose about some warriors…she didn't took the time to look at it in details yet, but it looked old, decrepit and incomprehensible…

However, she was delighted by the last read Sesshomaru had given her: _The Lords of the West Though History_. The book was enormous, and was filled with biographies of all the demon lords who had possessed the West: all those of the inuyoukai clans and those before them, dates of birth and death, dates of reign, their most important conquests and accomplishments, and a few words of philosophy of the most intellectual ones.

She found fascinating tales about Inu no Toiga "the bloody", who had killed an unsurpassable number of cat demons during an ancient civil war , Sasuko the 3rd, who was the first lord of the West to ever make a deal with the Kun'Ketsu Islands (that was lead by raven demons back then) or the great Emperor Matako, first dog demon who had marched on the West and conquered it. And there were illustrations of them too, with their ladies and children.

Rin had only read about a few lords until now…but she hadn't been able to control herself and had skipped to the last pages. She found Sesshomaru (apparently the 2nd of his name?!) quite easily. Aside from being shocked with his age, she had been disappointed to see that there was barely nothing about him, only a few words about his contributions in some war concerning…felines...and a few fights who looked quite epic...but not that many. She supposed the book might not be up to date.

Inu Taisho's section, however, was something else, pages and pages of exploits there were…but it wasn't the text that intrigued Rin the most. She had stared a long time at the familial illustration, showing Sesshomaru's father, a stately man with broad shoulders, with the same shape and colour of eyes as his son, next to Lady Sasori, icy smile even centuries past, with their lone son in between, still very young back then…all at a safe distance from each other.

Rin had been utterly shocked to see a child version of Sesshomaru! It never crossed her mind before that he had been a child long ago…

She had been delighted by this sight of a smaller version of him, who had a darker shade of gray hair back then, much shorter and tied in a ponytail, dressed in what seemed to be a wide red fire-rat robe…In human years, he looked about 9 or 10 years old, about the age she was when she had met him, though he looked much taller than her in a comparable state of maturity. Tall and slender, even then...

Rin frowned, as she remembered his facial expression on the illustration…For some reason, it had deeply troubled her. This might be a smaller version of him, yet he was so serious, so…so stern…

The stern expression was very fine for the Lord of the Western Lands, but these cold and intimidating amber eyes on the face of a child were deeply unsettling. She had promised herself to investigate later… but just with a glance at his hard stare… she felt like she knew the answer already…

Even when he was little, Sesshomaru had never been a child. He was never allowed to be. He had never played hide and seek with friends, cried because he had scratched his leg, or thrown a tantrum for no reason at all…He was taught to be an adult before he was tall, told to be strong before he could hold a sword, bred to be…a lord…

It was his only reason to be…

That made Rin sad. Sesshomaru had so many responsibilities…If someone had deserved to have a nice childhood, it should have been him, for all the centuries of burden to follow. But maybe it was better this way. Not really knowing what he had missed could prevent him to feel bitter about it…The child version of him sure looked unhappy.

She couldn't help but wonder…was it why he had shown such tolerance towards her when she was little? He just wanted to let her be…what he never had the chance to be himself? He didn't want her to be tamed and subdued by obligations and inhibitions?

She smiled, as she saw a butterfly flap lazily its wings over her head. Even though he was already much older than she will ever be, she knew Sesshomaru's reign was still short, and that he was still considered an inexperienced lord… He apparently even fled his lordly responsibilities for decades, because of his obsession for power and self-accomplishment, but somehow, if he truly had fled his duty as such, like some pretends, Rin couldn't judge. In fact, she could only understand. Maybe he feels like her, when he is in his castle…Maybe he feels like a bird in a cage too…

"No mail?", inquired Nozomi, bringing Rin back out of her deep reflections.

"It doesn't seem so…"

Rin was a bit disappointed, but she had only written to Kagome a few days ago, it was normal that she hadn't had the time to reply yet.

However, as they walked back towards the study, Rin glanced at the sky and saw a different looking heron than the usual ones: darker shade of feathers, smaller too. It landed in front of her.

"I've never seen one like that…"

"This one is from the North! It's mail for you, open it!"

Rin frowned as she put down the basket containing the injured chick, to take the parchment from the bigger avian. She stared at her name on the envelope, but she couldn't recognize the writing. It was definitely not from Kagome…or anyone she knew well…

However, the frown was quickly replaced by a smile at the corner of her lips, as she read the first line.

_Sweet Rin,_

"It's from Tenmaru", announced Rin.

"Not him!", sighed Nozomi.

_I hope you enjoy your stay in my precious seat. Alas, it saddens me to remind you I will have to take it back eventually._

_I wanted to remind you in good will, in case your beloved protector gets too distracted by your pretty eyes to remember._

_With you so close, I would be distracted too…_

Rin rolled her eyes. Some things never change…

_Speaking of the devil, I sincerely hope you both have expressed to each other the rightful marks of affection._

_I very well know from his grimness after the wedding that you haven't granted him the ultimate privilege._

_Hell Rin…there is only so much a man can tolerate! I worry for his sanity!_

_However, I shall cease my calumniation for now, and see for myself if you both have found the fundamental source_

_of deliverance very soon._

_Yes Rin, don't pretend you don't understand because of my fancy vocabulary. If your mutual tensions _

_are not released before my return, I swear, I will not come back. These working conditions are too hard to bear._

_For our sake Rin, please take care of him, indulging his needs is in the public interest of the realm._

_With sweetest affections,_

_Tenmaru_

_PS: check the other letter, read it if you want (I don't care), __just make sure to give it to Sesshomaru ASAP._

"He's such a jerk!", exclaimed the kitsune, not even shy to pry at the content. "Like any of this was his business!"

"Meh…"

"What? It's all you've got to say ?"

"Well…I think I am getting used to him", she replied casually, while glancing at the other letter, without even thinking.

_Sesshomaru,_

_Nasty wild tribes marching really fast, and numerous! Half are snakes, half are bird-like things._

_500 more than expected, 5 days early, coming from the Northeast, they've reached the cirrus hill already._

_We need more people up North! Now!_

_Tenmaru_

"Whoa!", exclaimed the kitsune.

"Oh…that's bad news, right?", wondered Rin worriedly.

"Yes! It's much more than what I saw!"

Without a minute more, Rin walked swiftly through the inner court to get back inside, in hopes to find Sesshomaru.

She hadn't seen him a lot, since the _incident _with his mother…She did try to visit him once in a while, but the tremendous pile of reports of all sorts scattered around him and his answers to her questions, mostly monosyllabic, or completely wordless, such as frowns or an eyebrow raised in annoyance, confirmed her that after all these days of travels, he didn't want to be disturbed, unless it was important. He expected some time…alone…

She hadn't insisted and left him be, only visiting him when she had practical questions, merely exchanging formalities when they saw each other in the corridors. She knew he had nothing against her; he had so many things to do, it was obvious he needed his dose of seclusion. She knew he would come to her eventually…when he'll feel like it.

But now was not a time for sentimental thoughts. She didn't need to see Sesshomaru, it was the lord she had to find, for there were important news and she didn't want to make him wait.

"Where are you running like this, little Rin?"

Rin froze in her spot, and gave a reserved sideways glance to the source of inquiry as she got inside the study.

The Lady Mother stood there, with a parchment in hand, icy smile plastered on her face.

Rin gulped. Her relations with the Lady Mother were strained, since the argument. The last time they had talked to each other, Lady Sasori had approached her with moon tea, insisting that "with so many problems these days", there was no way she was willing to "manage an unexpected hanyou crisis". Though Rin had felt a bit uneasy about her request at first –moon tea among humans was mostly used by whores– she wasn't against it. She didn't feel ready to be with child…not at all, and if she kept going, she knew it could be a risk…

"So?"

"I-I was going to get Lord Sesshomaru, my lady…"

"Since when do you call me lady, little Rin. It's pointless to be so formal!", she huffed. "Why are you so eager to find him?"

"Well…he got mail", Rin replied evasively.

The Lady Mother raised an eyebrow. "With news urgent enough to run around?"

"…I think so…Do you know where he is?"

"Well…I am not sure. Maybe he is training, or hunting. What is this letter all about?"

Rin blinked.

Lady Sasori's eyes narrowed. "I am the Lady of the Western Lands, Rin. I can _certainly_ assist."

Rin just nodded, while giving up the letter. It wouldn't be long before everyone heard the news anyway…

She saw Sesshomaru's mother raise an eyebrow. "This requires an immediate reunion."

"I will go get him", suggested Rin.

"Don't bother. I will find my son quickly with my keen nose", retorted the Lady Mother, with icy politeness. "Why don't you…play with your little pet, while I gather the others?"

Defeated again, Rin just nodded. For some reason, she was under the impression Sesshomaru may not like to see his mother holding a letter she had received for _him_…but…it couldn't be helped…

…

As usual, he got in last, all voices quieting and everyone standing up as he walked slowly to his seat. Rin glanced up and repressed a gasp as she saw him dressed very…informally…plain combat garbs, the top not even covering his arms, tied hair slightly messy. He was probably training and didn't even bother changing his clothes before getting in. His mother made a small pout of disapproval as he passed by…Rin was slightly amused at the sight. It didn't look like he was in a very good mood, though.

As to fit with the informal clothing, his introduction was improvised as well.

"So what is this _urgent_ letter all about?", he inquired with boredom.

"See for yourself", replied the Lady mother, while sliding the piece of paper on the table. "Tenmaru claims the wild tribes have reinforcement."

Sesshomaru took exactly 3 seconds to read it all, with a bothered glance on the table, and gazed up with annoyance. "This letter was addressed to me. Why am I the last one to take cognizance of it?"

Sasori smirked. "Ask your _ward_, Sesshomaru"

Rin blinked nervously as he glanced back at her with inquisitive eyes.

"The letter had my name on it", Rin responded meekly, not liking at all that the Lady Mother had just tried to take her by surprise and make her look like a snoop.

"Hmph."

He didn't inquire further and frowned. "Five days in advance…it will require premature departure and some reinforcements."

"What will you do, son? There is also the other issue we must take care of…"

"Non-issue, you mean", he retorted dryly.

"I think you have kept your vassals long enough in ignorance. We should talk about Lady Amane's letter."

"What? Lady Amane wrote to us?!", exclaimed instantly the baron Hatsuno.

"What is it all about?", added Nozomi nervously.

"Well…it can't be that bad if the _Lord_ has not bothered with it", retorted Tatsumaki with boredom.

Sesshomaru gave a long stare to his mother, then stood up to get the said object of inquisition and threw it with disdain on the table.

"Maybe you should read it", suggested Sasori.

"…You are so fond of her, the honour is all yours", Sesshomaru retorted with visible sarcasm.

Rin repressed a gasp as the Lady Mother only bothered with a smile and took the paper on the table, efficiently ignoring his hostility.

Lady Sasori cleared her throat. "Dear Lord and Lady of the Western Lands, it was a deep pleasure meeting you both on the radiant wedding celebrations of your vassal. I shall remember this night for many decades to come…"

Rin almost smirked when she saw a flash of anger pass through her lord's eyes. Oh Rin knew Lady Amane was not implying that she will remember that night because of its radiance…She could still remember Sesshomaru's flushed cheek, after receiving a fresh slap from the empress.

"As you have so cordially asked from me, I met the member of the snakes tribe, in hopes of finding the cause of their recent hunger, who seem to have intruded with the West's usual peacefulness. I was told they had to hunt on a few occasions on the Western Lands, much to their resentment, because the path to human lands they previously used to hunt, which is south of my own empire, has been blocked by a new human village's barricades and a fortress. Since then, they were forced to find new sources of eating, hence the hunts on your lands, and in the human villages southern of your territories. In fact, not only has the food started to grow scarce for them, but I was also informed many humans, south of your territories and mine, recently started to use mysterious and very effective weaponry against them…"

Then Lady Sasori's eyes met her son's, icy lemony stare expressing reproach. However, Sesshomaru only displayed a perfect impassiveness.

"Alas, because of the humans' renewed fierceness, pestering the nomadic tribes of the Heart Mountains with demonic arrows and lances, I am afraid the trespassing on your lands may increase. This situation is a bother, even to I, since the humans south of the Central Empire keep reproducing at frantic paces…"

Rin felt her traits turn into a scowl…Humans were talked about as if there were bugs again.

"Since we have mutual interests in the matter, I have a suggestion. If the Western Lands were to provide 200 men by the time the moon reach its last quarter, I shall provide 200 fighters as well, and we shall, side by side, exterminate the human infestation at once…"

Sesshomaru glanced at Rin, who surprisingly, didn't express much, but her skin seemed to suddenly blemish, though…

"…I cannot provide more assistance, as I have my own resource issues to manage, so this operation will only occur with the Western Lands' aid. I must quite truthfully say your contribution in fulfilling our duty of human population management would be greatly appreciated. The paces at which human scatter threaten both of our empires. It is a deep concern to me, since the number of them who breeds with sinful demons increase every day. For the best interests of our specie, we must unite. Dutifully, Empress Amane, of the Heartlands Dynasty."

"Dynasty…she ain't shy", grumbled Tatsumaki to Hatsuno.

Sesshomaru stared with lethal stoicism at his mother. "I suppose it is the time we should bother hearing your views", he commented with plain disdain on his traits.

Hatsuno was the first to speak, while scratching the back of his head. "Lady Sasori…even though I am aware a partnership with Lady Amane would be very strategic, I highly doubt this is the right way to go. We've never contributed to the Central Land's human extermination agenda. Starting now, after doing a deal with hanyous, would be highly harmful to us…"

"Not that I mind slaying a few humans if I must -they are certainly less feisty than the snakes- but with all due respect, It seems like the blue pain is treating us like her vassals again, thinking she can deploy the resources from the West as she pleases", added Tatsumaki.

"…I find it surprising she even bothers with such a request…", commented Kireru with a frown.

"The deal with Kun'Ketsu will be seen badly by the Empress", replied Sasori. "Granting help may show we have no ill will towards her…"

"What is the point? Is she good willed with us? We did enough to manage her tribes' invasions, when it is supposed to be part of her own duty to make sure none of her people create chaos as such! At this point, we have nothing to prove to her, especially if it involves killing humans who are just defending themselves!", exclaimed Nozomi with a frown. Rin was amazed that even her, usually so shy toward the Lady Mother, showed plain hostility at Lady Sasori's apparent openness.

"She spoke of possible resurgence of snakes", added Sasori with barely hidden exasperation. "No one cares about that?"

"Nope. Not until these snakes show up on our lands, if that ever happens", replied Tatsumaki nonchalantly.

"Any signs of possible reappearance of snakes coming from the Oriental Borders recently?", asked Sesshomaru casually.

"Nope."

He didn't say anything else, and only stared at the Lady Mother with what Rin deciphered as quiet satisfaction.

"It doesn't mean we would have to kill them. We could just find a mean to chase them away from the snakes' path. Deportation maybe?", suggested the Lady Mother.

"Her implications regarding the speed at which human reproduce clearly imply that she wants to reduce their population, not barely move them", retorted her son, not even hostile anymore. He knew his mother was not going to win such a futile debate.

"Sesshomaru…don't pretend you don't read between the lines. She suspects us for the weaponry the humans south of her lands carry…"

"We provided no weapons to them", he replied evasively.

"Well apparently, the humans you dealt with sold some of theirs to the village she talked about!", the Lady Mother retorted with irritation. "If we side with the mortals again, she will not see it lightly, she will certainly take it personal…"

"Good. Another occasion to make her understand she cannot get everything she wants", Sesshomaru spat back, narrowing his eyes.

At that, Rin was sure she heard one or two quiet snickers.

"So that's it, we simply decline?"

"Obviously."

"It might cost us."

"Even if we were foolish enough to agree with her offensive proposition, we cannot even grant it", Sesshomaru added with annoyance. "Tenmaru's letter implies I will have to leave tomorrow. It coincides quite beautifully with Amane's request for the last quarter moon"

"Son, you know we have enough resources to attend to these two tasks at the same time", replied Sasori with confusion.

"No we don't."

"But I thought…"

"…The only way would be to reduce the castle's defense to deploy the royal guards", interrupted Sesshomaru.

And then, Sesshomaru and his mother just stared at each other, without saying anything, but Rin could feel something had both crossed their minds at the same time, Lady Sasori's lips becoming a thin line, as Sesshomaru frowned darkly.

"…It can't be", whispered the Lady Mother.

"Hmph…"

Rin blinked in confusion, she felt silly, she didn't understand…until…

"Wait…you think this request of Lady Amane is a ruse to leave Lord Sesshomaru's mansion with weakened defense?", she blurted out worriedly.

Sesshomaru glanced back at her with knowing eyes.

"It is very likely, Lady Rin", replied Kireru.

"But…it might just be a coincidence?"

"Such a striking happenstance can only be orchestrated", added Sesshomaru with a frown. "I see no point for her to schedule a fight with humans right now, especially if she has a shortage of resources. She hoped to divert us with the humans to the south, either in hopes we wouldn't see her troops up north, or that…She means to attack the mansion while I am away…"

"I can't believe she would do that…That would be so reckless!", exclaimed the Lady Mother.

Sesshomaru just raised a daring eyebrow.

"…Maybe we can try to reach Tenmaru and see if he can leads the troops up north?", suggested the Lady Sasori.

"Mother, you know he is incapable to deal with so many foes", Sesshomaru retorted with frustration.

"Send someone else then."

"I must go", insisted Sesshomaru.

"Alas, there is a lot of uncertainty up North, it wouldn't be safe to send anyone who isn't used to lead armies, my lady", insisted Kireru.

"Yes, well, I wonder what our royal guards are for, if none of them can replace my son on the battlefield", huffed Sasori.

"We could send some other general, but the casualties will likely be much higher, Sesshomaru can annihilate quite a lot of foes at once", replied Kireru matter-of-factly.

"We could maybe bring some reinforcements from the Oriental Borders…", supposed Tatsumaki.

"No one move from the borders. If no foe can get in, no one will reach the castle. However, I expect full armies on duty until the end of the moon cycle", replied Sesshomaru.

"So I will be the one in charge of the castle's defence while you are gone, then?", asked Sasori with a frown. "Even though you believe there is a risk?"

Sesshomaru frowned back. "Maybe that if you glance at a snake or two, you will understand your subjects' spite towards the Heartlands…"

Sasori sent him an annoyed glance, and argued no more. Rin wondered how often the Lady Mother actually fought.

"You are all dismissed. Watch your respective borders and stay vigilant. Report any anomalies", ordered Sesshomaru.

All nodded and stood up, with frowns or scowls as they got out.

Rin glanced back at Sesshomaru, who was the only one who hadn't moved. He was, in fact, glancing back at her, with pensive eyes.

"I thought these talks of human extermination would trouble you more", he thought out loud.

Rin blinked. "Though it was displeasing to hear about, everyone's reaction reassured me before I could think too much about it", she replied with a thoughtful frown. "…But I also suppose it's not the first time I hear demons talking of humans as if they were insects…"

"…"

"You mother called them ants…", reminded Rin with uneasiness.

Sesshomaru examined her thoughtfully. And he couldn't believe it was the same person who had blamed him for killing lizard demons by mere precautions not so long ago, back in the human ghost town. She sure had straightened up a lot in a very short delay.

His facial traits softened a little, all of a sudden. "So…were your readings enlightening?", he inquired, with a quick glance at the history book not too far.

Rin smiled cheerfully. "This one is nice! I learned plenty of things!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

…He was testing her…but Rin couldn't help but grin teasingly. "Well…first of all, I've learned that you are…very old."

His curiosity transformed into annoyance, but then she glanced at the book cover thoughtfully. "But afterwards, I compared your duration of reign to the other ones, with all their dates of birth and death, and in fact…I realized you are quite…young…"

Annoyance transformed into curiosity. Knowing hazel eyes met his. "It's funny…", she smiled. "The more I get to know you, the youngest you become…"

He displayed plain confusion. "Because of mere facts in a book?"

She shook her head. "…Not only that…It's just that, almost everything about you was such a mystery before I got here. You protected me, yet I felt we were truly, mere strangers with a same past, but nothing else in common. To me, you could have been a million years old back then. "

He stared silently, intently, as if trying to see through her.

She stared back, with the same intensity. "Actually, I think we have more points in common than I thought…"

"Such as?"

"W-well… being between four walls all the time can be overwhelming", she confessed, looking down. "I am not used to it. I've never really lived this way…"

"You did beg for travels…"

She glanced up. "Yes. I feel so free when we leave the castle…I am sure that you understand what I mean" she commented thoughtfully. "I think you'd much rather glance up at the sky or venture on the battlefield, than being stuck with paperworks or never-ending meetings between four walls…"

He didn't reply, but his traits softened.

"Also, even though you are the lord of this place, it doesn't seem to me that you are very attached to the…I am not sure how to call it…the aristocratic way of life, I guess?", she finished, a bit shy-looking.

"Pompous nobility?", he tried, slightly intrigued. "Does that annoy you?"

"W-well not that I hate it. There are few perks, certainly, but you know…I don't _need_ any of this to live…"

"You imply nobles give exaggerated importance to petty things?", he inquired, while raising an eyebrow.

She looked down, self-consciously, unable not to think about a few disdainful stares, while she took care of the little bird. Why did they care so much about her way of spending her time anyway?

"I suppose that I am sometimes under the impression that people at court attach great importance to insignificant things, indeed", she admitted, then she frowned. "And some people are so shallow…expecting everything and everyone to be pretty and orderly all the time…couldn't they just focus on more important things once in a while?"

"You are a bit clothes-conscious yourself", he taunted, with a budding smirk.

She glanced back at him with a frown. "You are too, but you don't spend your days thinking or talking about it!" She pouted, a bit upset at his remark. "I am starting to feel annoyed. Except for your vassals, every woman around here just speak of clothes, make-up and silly gossips! How can they spend their life doing that?"

He plainly smirked. "Yes, don't get me wrong. I got your point", he reassured, with a glint of amusement. "I didn't mean to offend you".

"Y-you don't", she stammered, with a blush. "I apologize for my complaints, it's just that I remember you telling me nobles know nothing about life, a while back. I think that I understand very well what you meant…now…"

He retrieved his cold demeanour and kept looking at her right in the eyes, and placed a hand on her cheek. She glanced back at him, wanting to know how he felt, but he didn't speak, before a long while.

"I wonder…is it me who is younger, or is it you who have gotten older?", he inquired mysteriously.

She blushed, she hadn't expected that question, and not sure what she should reply to that.

He stood up. "I must go. I have…obligations."

She looked disappointed and nodded. His traits softened. "Your book, you should check the 15th chapter…"

She looked intrigued. "What is so special about it?"

"The lord is insignificant, but you may be interested by his consort", he stated, with a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

…

The cool nightly breeze made her shiver, as she walked through the backyard, about to do something she had never done before. She followed carefully the stony walls, yet hidden behind a veil of vegetation, knowing that if she kept going, she will find the backdoor to his apartments…

After going through a tiresome meal he hadn't attended to, because she simply couldn't live without food today, she had walked to the study in hopes to find him, but he was nowhere to be seen. However, she had found a letter, from Kagome. There was no hearts drawn on it this time…for a very simple reason.

It wasn't good news at all…

Rin felt upset and frustrated about what she had read. It had put salt on old wounds she didn't want to think about. She had tried to get back to her room to rest, but she had been staring at her ceiling for quite a while, before coming to the conclusion that slumber wasn't going to indulge her, her mind was too troubled.

She realized that she absolutely needed to be with him before he leaves again…Yet it was late at night, but she didn't want to be seen half dressed knocking at his door by anyone, so she had sneaked out by her backdoor and hoped he would be in his apartments. Her plan was a little crazy, she knew, but she didn't think he would mind, he said she could come to him anytime of the day, or night, if she so wished. So she was very enthusiastically going to use that right.

And there it was, she had counted the doors, she spotted the right one: it was bigger than all the others, and she recognized the wide balcony and endless fancy gardens…though the white lilacs had withered now…

She noticed through the screen doors that the light was dimmed; as if only candlelight lit the room…maybe he was sleeping …

For some senseless reason, she just climbed the stairs of his balcony anyway and delicately knocked at the door, squeezing her eyes shut from embarrassment, trying to find a rightful excuse to her late night visit. However, after a while, she reopened them, first of all, because there was no answer, and secondly, because she just remembered he never answers when someone knocks at the door of the study, everyone just get in...but then again, it was a public room, not his private quarters…

She indulged herself with another thoughtless action, sliding slowly…very slowly one of the door open, and got in, soundlessly as a thief. She blinked a few times, as she realized the room was silent as well. If he was in there she didn't even hear him breathe. She made a few careful steps and glanced around, but the room was so dark, she couldn't see well…so she just kept going, and concluded that he must be away and will be back eventually. Maybe she could wait for him…

She glanced at the simple luxuries around his chambers, the marble floor cool under her feet…She felt like his apartments must be one of the chilliest place of the whole mansion, it didn't feel like summer in there…

Then she glanced to her left, and there was…his…bed…

It was empty, but she was amazed by how wide it was, compared to the small thing they had slept in, back in Kun'Ketsu. Curious, she took a few steps in its direction, and stared at the white blanket, probably filled with feathers…the bed looking all plush and comfortable…She stopped next to it and brushed the covers with the tip of her fingers…the fabric was soft, a bit downy, like his pelt…it was so inviting…

She walked around it to inspect one of the pillows, but the view she had when she glanced at the footboard made her freeze in her spot.

He was there. In the room, away…sitting in an armchair, book on his lap, the light from the candle giving some enigmatic hue to his amber eyes, expression completely indecipherable.

He had been there all along…He had been staring at her all this time too…She gulped…

He stood up and walked slowly in her direction. She noticed he wasn't fully dressed either, he was wearing some thin night robe a bit loosely tied a showing off a part of his upper chest…She tried not to stare. She had to say something, but the words were caught in her throat.

"Why did you sneak in here?", he finally asked, with a tad of irritation.

"I-I…I wanted to see you. I did knock…", she replied nervously.

"I know, I was simply wondering why you used the backdoor…", he specified, frowning with curiosity.

"I didn't want to be seen…"

"Why for?"

"I…well…there is…my state of dress", she mumbled.

He raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

She frowned. "Well…I thought a nightgown was not the most appropriate clothing to knock at your door…", she looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude…"

"I don't mind you coming in, but you shouldn't behave as if you have something to reproach yourself", he observed with his usual impassiveness.

She smiled slightly; feeling a bit reassured…He wasn't mad because she got in without waiting for an answer or because she had been prying at his things…that was a relief. He did have good reasons to be annoyed…

"Why were you inspecting my bed?", he inquired suspiciously.

She blushed, mentally cursing at herself, while looking back at the bed. "Hum…I don't know…"

"Do you want to try it?"

She gasped and glanced back at him. "I-I didn't mean to…"

"You can, if you want", he cut her off, glancing at her with curiosity.

She stopped breathing, glanced at the tempting bed again, and gazed back at him, not sure how he wanted her to reply. His own stare had the intimidating gleam again.

"I…I probably should go get some rest", she replied, uneasy.

"In your room?", he asked, while raising an eyebrow.

She blushed again. Of course, mister knew she didn't want to go back… Feeling another perilous impulse of boldness, she slowly removed her own night robe and let it slide down her shoulders, moved his sheets and laid down in his bed, and repressed some sigh of bliss that almost escaped her lips…it was fluffy, and warm…and had his smell…Kami she felt like she was in a cloud!

But then she glanced back at him, the now burning glow in his ambers didn't go unnoticed.

Tenmaru's little reminder was definitely correct. Sesshomaru wanted her... She could feel it. She felt uncertain. It was so easy when they were drunk…but with a sober mind, all of this didn't feel like a dream: every movement felt heavier, and every spoken word felt truer…everything more intense.

"What I am doing right now is very scandalous, right?", she asked in a half embarrassed, half teasing manner.

He didn't answer… without saying a word, he just kept devouring the sight of her in his bed with his starving eyes, long dark hair spread on his white pillow, light orange gown hugging her beautiful frame, fabric thin and torturing…

"Maybe I should go?", she wondered in a whisper.

"No."

"W-why?"

"…You don't want to."

She couldn't hide her smile. "Are you really talking about me, or about yourself, my lord?", she wondered out loud, almost jokingly.

He took a moment to think. "Fine", he conceded. "_We_…don't want to."

Rin blinked. "…True."

He walked away, to extinguish the candles left. Rin stopped breathing, as she watched him, overexcited butterflies flying in her belly, she wasn't sure if it was glee or dread she should feel. She was aware of his needs…maybe that it could actually be the right time…even though it was not exactly what she had in mind when she executed her crazy plan…Why did she always have to feel confused about her wants like that?

Now it was dark, but she could see through the dark his silhouette come back to her, moving a tad more swiftly than his usual pace. She thought for a moment that he might just jump on her from lust and hunger, but instead, he went to the other side of the bed, and just slid under the covers, as if they did so every night. He rolled on his side to have a good look at her, and instantly noted the unease in her hazel eyes.

"Aren't you comfortable?"

He could see her blush through the dark. "I-I'm sorry…it's just that…". She sighed. "Well…there is only so much a man can bear…or so I was told…", she whispered.

He blinked and assumed his indecent staring while she tried to make herself comfortable in his bed may have troubled her a little…The pretty sight of her in his private things had stirred him even more than he had anticipated.

"Don't worry…I do not intend to ravish you", he specified with a knowing look. "You will have to beg me, if that is what you want."

She smiled shyly. "…That again, I didn't think you were serious when you said that the first time…"

"I am always serious, unless I specify otherwise", he reminded matter-of-factly.

She slowly drifted to his side and snuggled against his chest, letting finally a sigh of delight escape from her lips as he slid an arm around her. He frowned, as he noticed how troubled she seemed, a lingering uneasiness that had nothing to do with her lying in his bed or previous hungry eyes haunting her.

"Is there a specific reason for this nightly visitation?", he inquired.

She shook her head. "I just wanted to see you before you leave…"

"I will not be gone for long…", he reassured, while caressing the nape of her neck delicately. She shivered.

"…I know…"

The uneasiness was still there.

"Why are there two guards who have been following me recently?", she asked, all of a sudden.

He frowned. So she had noticed. "…Just a safety measure…", he replied evasively. "You are not part of the imperial family. You have no assigned protection. I wanted to solve this issue…"

"…Oh…"

"…Rin…is there anything else you want to tell me?", he tried, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

She repressed a sigh. "No…" She buried her face in his chest. "Except maybe…" She stopped a moment. "…That I love you…"

He felt his heartbeat quicken a little; she had succeeded distracting him. What was he supposed to answer to that?

"…You know how much I care", he replied back.

She smiled. "…Yes…"

Silence ensued for a while, as he kept stroking her back and hair instinctively, in an attempt to lull her inner turmoil.

"Actually…there is something else", she admitted in a trembling whisper.

He knew it. He waited for her to continue.

"Something happened at the village…"

He frowned in the dark.

"My…" She hesitated, not sure how to call it in front of him. "Kaede's hut…my…my home at the village…It burned down."

She felt him tense up, yet it took him a while to speak.

"How could _they_ let this happen?", he asked, neutrally, yet Rin could feel wisps of contempt and anger.

"I-I don't know…Kagome told me they suspected…".

"What?", he prompted.

She took a deep breath before finding the courage to pronounce the last words.

"_Bandits_", she blurted out, with a trembling voice. "Filthy bandits have been stealing villagers, as of late. They must have stolen…my belongings…and burned the hut down…"

The irony…he almost wanted to smirk. _Bandits_. He knew of her deep hatred for them. She probably would have preferred to hear that the thunder had struck her hut, or a twister, or a landslide…or even that a giant ogre demon ate it all…

"…It was just…objects, no one were injured, I should just be glad, not angry, right?", she asked with a desperation.

He didn't answer. He wasn't the one who could help her with the resentment. He was actually furious that her very few possessions -containing a fair proportion of things he had given her through the years- were all lost. That irritated him, yet, that could easily be replaced.

The worst was that she had also lost all her souvenirs from the few human people who cared for her. The respect of the fallen and their keepsakes was among the things he understood quite acutely… His fist was suddenly very itchy for a good punch at Inu-Yasha's face…A fool he was…opposing Rin's departure for the summer under the excuse that "he was an uncaring bastard" and concerned that, he, Sesshomaru, would put "fucked up thoughts in her brain", yet…he was unable to watch over Rin's belongings.

He had never been a liar, yet he was not willing to pour oil on the fire, Sesshomaru just kept his mouth shut and did what he knew always worked when she was upset, which was, embrace her, and let purge her sorrow.

However, Rin didn't cry this time. It wasn't sadness she felt…actually…it was more like a mix of uneasiness and bitterness. The most solid bond she had with her village was the fact that after so many years, she felt like she had a home…and now it was gone.

During her brief time with Sesshomaru when she was little, she had no home, she had forgotten how it was to have a home and didn't even want one. But the human home that was forced on her, Kaede's hut, had become important with years. It was almost as much of a home as the first one she had lost to…_bandits_…along with her family…She wondered if it was fate that wanted to send her a message. Kagome had promised her she would leave her a room in her own hut when she would be back, but Rin knew already that she would never use it. She would go back to the village to bid her farewells, and then…her life with her own kind will be over…

Rin gasped, as she was violently pulled away from her troubled thoughts as Sesshomaru took her tiny waist in his strong arms to put her on top of him. She didn't dare raise her head from his chest.

"Wh-what are you doing?", she asked in a surprised whisper.

"Taking your mind off things."

He delicately pushed on her shoulders to make her rise, sitting on the lower part of his own waist.

She looked down at him with embarrassment. "Sesshomaru-sama...why did you do that? Wh-what do you want me to do?"

He refrained a smirk. He didn't say anything. No way he could answer that one without scaring her off…

However, he felt the urge to silently inspire her and laid his warm hands on her knees and slowly went up her thighs, watching her close her eyes and take a deep breath, while her cheeks reddened.

After a while, she explored his torso with the tips of her fingers, glancing at him with half lidded eyes, while he stared back at her with intent interest, quenching his repressed thirst with the enticing sight.

She found it odd, for some reason he had this habit of putting her in positions of power, as of late…as if he had changed his mind about his usual cravings for domination. She didn't mind. She decided that she didn't hate to be sitting on him as such…

She refrained a frown; she thought that feeling the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his robe wasn't satisfying enough for her anymore, so she just untied him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the feel of her soft hands roaming on him, any touch from her was bliss…Then he felt her lips trail on his neckline tentatively. Amber eyes with a predatory gleam opened suddenly and his breathing started to quicken as the exploring lips trailed over his chest and his ribs, but he had to intercept a roaming hand on his abdomen going way too low for his liking. She was playing with fire. She couldn't go there before he hears her beg…

He took her waist and brought her up again, as he raised his thighs, to prevent her from going on forbidden territory while he got up a little, to ravish her neck, as his own hands roamed on her frame, without any discrimination regarding their destination. She gasped under his touch and tilted her head to the side, to give him better access to her neck that he kept torturing…He may leave marks again…

However, a gloomy flash startled her, interrupting the moment of heavenly abandonment. She looked at the windows worriedly.

"Don't worry…it's just rain…", he whispered to her ear.

"A storm…", she corrected.

A small smile crept on his lips as he felt her tense up. He wrapped his arms around her and kept going at slight reassuring ministrations with his lips as she laid her forehead on his shoulder.

"Well…I can't go back to my room now", she observed, matter-of-factly.

"Unless you actually use the front door", he stated with the same tone.

She didn't answer right away.

"Why would you want to leave anyway?", he felt compelled to ask, with a sideways glance.

"What will they say tomorrow morning if I stay?"

"Nothing. Anyone who judge will die", he responded with certainty.

She couldn't help but giggle at that and glanced back at him with a grin. He raised an eyebrow.

"You are always so adamant about making sure I am respected", she observed with a smile.

"Always."

"Don't you wish I were a demon, sometimes?"

"Never."

"Never?"

"Never", he repeated.

"Things would be more simple…"

He glanced at her with a frown. "Why are you acting as if you were ashamed of yourself again? I thought you were past that."

"I am past that", she reassured.

"Then prove it."

She frowned. "Yes…I will"

Then she couldn't yelp but yawn, all of a sudden. He freed her and laid her down on the mattress.

He was right, she shouldn't act as if she hadn't the right to be in this place. It mattered not what the Lady Mother or the servants thought. This mansion was her only home now; she had to behave accordingly. And so, she stretched very comfortably in the bed of the Lord of the Western Lands, turned away to glance at the droplets hitting the huge windows she will probably stare at for many years to come…and felt a wave of addictive ecstasy as he snuggled in close, making her feel the warmth of his chest against her back, as he slid a protective arm around her waist. She closed her eyes. She felt like she fitted perfectly against him like this, like she was meant to be there…She huddled up a bit closer, to have a better feel of him and rested a hand on the top of his.

"…After you'll be back from the North. I think it will be the perfect time", she whispered with a healthy blush. "I will make myself pretty…and we'll celebrate your return…"

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at her discreetly, very well understanding what she meant, and wondering where this certitude was coming from, all of a sudden. But he was certainly not going to complain.

"What colour should I wear?", she asked with wisps of glee.

"It matters not."

"Isn't there something you prefer?", she insisted.

He thought a while before he answered.

"…White."

She smiled. "…Okay…I'll be in white!"

"I shall wear something dark, then", he replied, very well aware of her taste.

She blushed at that.

"So…I suppose you will be able to sleep tonight, my lord?"

"…Most likely", he answered evasively. He glanced at her. "You know you don't have to be so formal when no one is around…"

She blushed. She had no idea what she was supposed to call him…He was too perfect for the honorifics to be dropped…

"O-okay…Good night, then", she replied with a smile, strategically trying to avoid naming him.

"…Sleep well…", he answered in a whisper to her ear.

…

Rin could hear Tomen's (the new name of the injured bird) chattering through the windows of the study, as the Lady Mother shared her views about the marriage issue at the eastern borders, insisting that she was unsure whether or not this problem was truly something they should be concerned about.

At this point, Rin could hardly be surprised by Sasori's reply. Since their fight, the Lady Mother always replied some argument to oppose anything coming from her mouth. It was a splendid contrast with her previous behaviour…the signature of the treaty really angered Sasori to no end, it seems. Rin started to think the grudge will simply never fade away.

"…It seems to me that the current stability proves that status quo may be the way to go", finished the Lady Mother with slight boredom.

"I was actually thinking long term, Sasori-sama. Peace can only last so long, if there is a possible source of conflicts between two of the vassals at the frontiers", replied Rin with a frown.

"I am not in disagreement. However, Katashi implied to my son that he needed "a wench" to attend to some of his duties on his fief. We will be at odds at him if we side with the woman", retorted Sasori.

"Well…does the "wench" have to be Lady Kizuisen?", wondered Rin out loud.

"No, but I frankly don't see why we should bother with this futile request at the moment, we have more urgent matters to attend to than this drunkard's caprice", retorted the Lady Mother.

"…Katashi is sure an idiot, but he's quite well-off", commented Tatsumaki with a smirk. "I know a few girls who could be interested…"

"When you say girls, I hope you do not imply whores?", asked Sasori, clearly sceptical.

The vassal looked a slightly nervous for a brief moment. "W-well no…but… You know Kizuisen is not an angel either, right?"

"Boorish or not, we will not match a vassal with these type of woman, Tatsumaki, we have a reputation to preserve", insisted the Lady Mother sternly.

"…It doesn't matter, I know a few girls who could fit your requirement", replied the vassal nonchalantly. "Anything to avoid more trouble with that fool…"

"So it's settled then. Talk about this with little Rin, set a meeting with the drunkard and manage this with him. I will break off the union", the Lady Mother stated with boredom.

Rin blinked. Now that had been much easier than expected.

"Now before you all leave, I have a final announcement", the Lady Mother stated neutrally, before a small smile crept on her lips. "I've received a few letters about our lord's celibacy again, since the wedding. I intend to hold an audience of prospective consorts…"

Rin felt her blood freeze in her veins. Nozomi glanced at her with uneasiness, as Tatsumaki just frowned in annoyance at the Lady of the West.

"He will be pissed off", the wind demoness commented. "He may damage the castle again…"

"It matters not. He rejected Lady Amane. It is my duty to keep searching for a woman who can carry a heir, especially in these unsettling times", the Lady Mother insisted with obstinacy. "If any of you have names to add on the list, you are very welcome", she finished casually. "Now that will be all. You are dismissed."

The two female vassals stood up and left swiftly. The other men had not bothered to come, knowing this was a reunion about female issues. Rin glanced at the Lady Mother with contempt she couldn't hide. She did it again…conspire in Sesshomaru's back while he is gone to try to match him against his will. Rin knew it was how it had happened with the invitation sent to Amane, it must have been this way with many other prospective consorts too…Sesshomaru was going to be beside himself when he will hear of it…

Rin stood up and went for the court doors, not going to exchange formalities with the Lady Mother this time…

"You shouldn't go outside, little Rin", Sasori commented. "We have received reports of flying wildlings, they could mistake you for a prey."

Rin stared back. "I know, Sesshomaru-sama informed me before his departure, but I was only going to feed the bird. I shall not be long…"

"It doesn't take long for something bad to happen", the Lady Mother insisted with wisps of annoyance.

Rin didn't answer and started to walk away.

"Little Rin…Your cold shoulder is disheartening", added the Lady Mother, as she approached the human, seemingly upset. "I know the she-wolf did put odd ideas into your mind and in the mind of my son, but rest assured it is not my intention to harm you…"

"What are your intentions then?", inquired Rin boldly, glancing back at the Lady Mother.

Sasori's lips became a thin line. "I never had any objections for you to spend time with my son. However, you should just be grateful for what you have. You must be aware he has already given you so much…", She glanced at the sun pendant an instant. "Much more than any mortal deserves from a demon of his blood…"

Rin didn't answer. Again, she wanted to make her feel inferior… ashamed…

"You must know your place. That is the only thing I want", she replied, with a low voice, before walking out and leaving the human alone.

Rin frowned, as she opened the door and thought of the Lady Mother's words.

_Know her place?_

She took Tomen in her hands and frowned.

"…And where is my place, exactly?", wondered Rin to herself, as she caressed the little bird's head.

…

"A mate! She's mate material, obviously!", exclaimed Tenmaru with a grin. "Sesshomaru, you are so dense! Stop your denials and take Rin as your mate at once!"

Sesshomaru tried hard not to kill his cousin, as they walked through the frontiers, searching for any trace of Heartlands' tribes…But the wildlings had been much fewer than anticipated. They must have killed a hundred at most, and now his poor excuse for a relative was complaining about his shortened vacations and…an apparent necessity for him to make Rin his mate. Tenmaru couldn't stop talking. He was incredibly annoying.

"Let's retire for the night", the youkai lord announced.

They walked through the pathways of a small village, with only the scent of conifers, and no enemies around, or any interesting distraction, until Sesshomaru's amber eyes landed on an intricate item, at a stall of a woman closing up her boutique for the night. Burgundy and delicate…that item would be lovely in her dark hair…

"What are you doing?", inquired Tenmaru, gazing behind him, and instantly smirked. "Again?! "

Sesshomaru glared at him, Tenmaru just stopped being a wuss for once, and glanced at his cousin with knowing eyes. "You have been dilapidating so much of the Western Land's budget on gifts for your sweet Rin, everyone must already assume that she is your mate anyway."

"You are an idiot. Don't you understand the implications of taking a human as my consort?", retorted Sesshomaru with annoyance, finally acknowledging the issue Tenmaru wouldn't stop talking about for at least an hour.

Sesshomaru's cousin looked confused. "Well, I suppose some old geezers could complain, but you know… I never told you to marry her either. If you are concerned about blood purists rioting, just take her as a mate."

"It means the same thing, you idiot."

"Absolutely not. You could just test her as a paramour for a while, and once everyone got used to having her around, I am sure nobody will care what you do…Rin has her charisma, after all, nobody can hate her for long… ", the cousin explained with a devious grin. "Anyway, your people have been expecting it, with the song and all. It says she becomes your consort at the end of it!"

"The song doesn't say that", protested Sesshomaru with irritation. "Besides, I do not adhere to your polygamist view, there are no notions such as…paramours or whatever you call your lovers that exist out of this area…"

"Oh please, don't be a snob again!", exclaimed the cousin with a huff. "Who cares about your silly uptight conventions? Just call her mate, but without a binding marriage. Sasori won't complain, because any hanyou kid you may have with her won't be heir…"

"Unless there is no official consort…Then any offspring of mine can be considered my successor, especially if the mother is a mate", retorted Sesshomaru with a frown.

"Of course…that's why your dear mother will still try to get you a demoness, but in all honesty, I think she'll have a rough time. Like you said, most of your people have monogamist beliefs, the prospect of becoming your second wife won't appeal to as many female…Now that would give you a break, don't you think?"

Sesshomaru just gazed back at him coldly. Tenmaru sure had a twisted mind…Just how much time had he thought about this to come up with such a plan?

Then a piercing scream was heard. Both glanced up and saw a bird charge at them. Sesshomaru unsheathed Bakusaiga in anticipation for the attack, but before he could jump to get at the beast, a lean silhouette flew in the sky and sliced it in one blow, to land in front of them.

A young man, pristine white hair, wide blue eyes, tall…and juvenile looking… the facial traits and his smell made Sesshomaru think this intruder may be related to someone he dislikes deeply.

"Lord Sesshomaru", the man bowed. "My apologies for the disturbance brought by this wildling. We are working on clearing them out…"

Sesshomaru frowned. "Thank you, but your help is not needed", he retorted dryly.

The man smiled timidly. "I was only trying to be courteous, my lord."

"…Who are you?"

"Pardon my poor manners. My name is Kazuo, I am general of the Heartlands' Northern Borders", he said with a bow. "I have to say it is a surprise to see you in person, Lord Sesshomaru. Your presence was expected elsewhere…"

Sesshomaru displayed instant annoyance. "You must be talking about the human village…"

Kazuo looked self-conscious. "Yes, Lady Amane thought that since humans have been the source of trouble all along, you wouldn't display pointless mercy at troublesome mortals and may be interested in a collaborative effort…", explained the general.

"These humans are of no concern to me. They have never trespassed my lands or harmed my people."

The general smiled politely. "I understand, my lord. It is not my place to judge", then he glanced up. "Still, I think it will be a surprise to the empress. You are well known to have different views than your late father on these issues. And you do have blood from the Heart Mountains yourself…"

Sesshomaru smirked darkly.

"Remind your dear sister _I am no subject of hers_. Besides…", Sesshomaru's amber eyes narrowed a notch. "If she has any particular request to address to me, she can do them herself. She is free to write to me…or visit my court…"

Kazuo flinched. "It is pointless to display such harshness when my half sister only wished for a friendly collaboration…These times are so unstable…"

"Friendly collaboration you say? I will give her a friendly advice. Instead of trying to annihilate humans from the south, maybe she should try keeping her own lands up North. We are told there is quite a hubbub on the other side of our frontiers", spat back Sesshomaru.

"It is true", conceded Kazuo with lassitude. "I understand your positions, my lord. However, if I may return the friendly gesture, you may want to be indulgent towards Lady Amane. She is a brand new leader, bold and inexperienced, her neighbours should try to understand …"

"Neighbours? What neighbours? Aside from me, I don't think there is anybody left", Sesshomaru retorted, while raising a daring eyebrow.

"All the more reason to be careful, my lord… I apologize again for the disturbance. I shall go back on my own side, now", answered the general, while sheathing his sword. "You can keep patrolling if you like, but I think you will find the North very quiet…"

"Hmph…"

The lone general left the two inuyoukais to their musings, moving back to his own lands swiftly.

"Wow…I never thought the official armies of Amane were moving up North to stop their own wildlings. She has never intervened against her tribes before", commented Tenmaru, bewildered.

"It is a surprise", observed Sesshomaru with a frown. "This contradicts her past positions…This could be a trap..."

"You want some scouts to go have a look at what is really going up North?", inquired Tenmaru.

"Yes. I must locate the troops as well. We will make swift patrols. I'll leave half of them here, and bring back the other ones…I have a feeling my presence will be requested elsewhere…"

"As you wish, milord", replied Tenmaru with a smirk.

…

Rin picked at her food unenthusiastically. A couple of days had passed since Sesshomaru's departure…She had wished him the best, with a sincere smile on her face, did her best to act cheerful as she always did, but she was having a hard time being happy at the moment. All the vassals were gone after the last meeting, so she had no real friends inside the castle and she wouldn't stop hearing gossips with some names and physical descriptions of prospective consorts the Lady Mother had selected for her auditions.

Even though Rin very well knew that she had nothing to worry about, she felt the bile rising in the back of her throat. She knew it was best to stay as far as possible from the room where these audiences will be held, that will be filled with beautiful demon women strutting for her lord, or else she might get violent…The green jealousy she had felt when she had seen Sesshomaru with Lady Amane the first time had transformed into red possessiveness, it seems.

Rin repressed a sigh…She was so eager to see Sesshomaru again! She wanted to see his warm amber eyes, and have his arms wrapped around her and forget about the Lady Mother's ill plans.

But for now…she was sitting on the right side of the dining table, close to Lady Sasory, in a desperate attempt to be polite, but the demoness was throwing bunches of unpleasant puns…

"Little Rin, you have chosen a white kimono again?", commented the Lady Mother with her icy smile.

Rin smiled, a bit awkwardly. "Well…yes. Is something wrong with it?"

Lady Sasori huffed. "You have such a colourful wardrobe, why bother with bland whites? It's a tint of _boring_ _nobility_. You should indulge this Lady and show yourself with something more sparkling…"

…Rin had a hard time finding polite answers to each of these allusions about her own status! She just dressed in any colour she saw fit! She just wanted to scream that she wasn't a doll and throw sake into Lady Sasori's face…

Rin tried to calm herself. She was touchy, as of late. She took a deep breath. She knew for a fact that _he_ liked white…and could come back at anytime now. Yes…he will be back soon…

She smiled sweetly at the Lady Mother. "Actually, you are right. I hadn't noticed how much white I've worn lately. I will try something else next time…", she replied cheerfully. "What about _purple_, my lady?"

The Lady Mother just answered with her eternal icy smile and sipped at her drink.

"My Lady!", exclaimed Jaken, bouncing in front of the Lady Mother. "We-we've had urgent news from our observers!"

"What is it?"

"A horde of flying demons, going in the castle's direction. There will be here in less than an hour. They are moving very quickly and have created havoc everywhere! They damaged at least three villages…"

Rin felt her face whiten. She held her pendant nervously.

"Where do they come from?", inquired the Lady Mother.

"From the Heartlands, obviously. Their trajectory leaves no doubt!", exclaimed the toad.

The Lady Mother sighed in exasperation. "So he was right…Sesshomaru sure has his father's sixth sense…sometimes…", she thought out loud. Her face turned to resignation. "Little demon, you shall summon the royal guards at once. We shall not let these pests damage our castle."

"Y-yes…my lady…"

Jaken bowed and bounced away in a panic. Afterwards, Rin noticed how the entire table had grown silent, while looking at the Lady Mother's direction. She stood up, with annoyance all over her facial traits.

"Have you heard? We are under attack. Make yourself ready for combat, they will reach us before nightfall", she announced solemnly.

"My lady, who will lead the troops?", inquired a guard.

"I shall", she replied coldly.

"All of the Lord's personal guards must watch the Lady, then."

As soon as that was said, four guards appeared almost instantly around Sasori. Before departing, the demoness stared back at Rin.

"Little Rin…no need to say that you are expected to stay inside the mansion. Do not get out, not even to feed your little bird. And now that we are at it, stay away from the windows. You could be an appealing snack to hungry demons", she commented with a frown.

Rin just nodded and watched her leave with apprehension. Sesshomaru had already given her the instruction never to leave the mansion's walls...much to her regret. She barely dared a few visits to Tomen and nothing else… She knew it was for her own good…but now Sesshomaru had been gone for a while and she started to feel claustrophobic, but now that wasn't her greatest source of torments…

He had seen everything coming…All of it… he had predicted attacks during his leave. He certainly wasn't the fool his mother pretended he was. It was a chance they had not weakened their defence to indulge Lady Amane…

Rin gulped and touched instinctively her obi, as she realized she missed her dagger deeply.

…

First thing Rin did, after leaving swiftly the dining room was to retrieve her weapon. Now she was inside the study, staring at flashes in the sky, unsure if it was just lightning or attacks launched by royal guards. A great sense of restlessness invaded her mind. She was alone. All the guards were deployed outside, around the castle. A very strict number of them were left in the mansion, along with a few weaklings unable to fight, such as maids, Jaken and her. The two guards stalking her from afar all the time weren't there either; they had been deployed to protect the Lady Mother.

Rin had hoped that a visit to the study to get her history book would soothe her a little…but it hadn't…Now the only thing she heard were distant screams, clashes of swords, and a close guard snoring. The loneliness was torturing her mind…

She grabbed the book as quickly as she could and left the study, to catch up with other people…maybe a few servants. She truly didn't want to be alone.

She gulped and walked silently. The castle was so dark. The servants were so few they had forgotten to lit up the torches…it sure was gloomy…And they were no where to be seen…

Then a flash of light blinded Rin for a second, and she gasped. She took a deep breath and kept going, but as soon as she reached the corridor leading to her room, she swore she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped breathing and glanced behind her back, and stared for a while…She didn't see anything. She instinctively put a hand on her obi and fastened her pace, some irrational part of her mind now thinking she would be safer if she reached her room and hid under the covers of her bed…she could maybe even go to Sesshomaru's apartments…there certainly was a sharper weapon lying around there, and being around his things could shroud her fears...

However, before Rin could decide, she heard other footsteps. She glanced behind her again, but the main threat was right in front of her, yellow eyes watching the distracted prey, only a few inches away, sadistic beast waiting for her to glance back at it and for her to scream before capturing her.

Many blinding flashes were seen, and thunder cracked violently, concealing Rin's calls for help, while kicking and biting at the intruder holding both of her arms, preventing her from grabbing her weapon. She screamed more, and kicked again at the foe and hit him in the stomach with her knee, stunning it for a second. She almost thought she would be able to flee, but another one she hadn't seen struck her right behind the head with a club, knocking her out in one blow.

The two lizards stared at each other with satisfaction, grabbed their prize, and fled into the wilderness, nascent rain hiding any scents that could help a keen nose retrieving their trace.

…

The more Sesshomaru approached his lands, the quicker his pace became, uneasiness taking control of his senses, as he saw damage to villages on their way home. At some point he started to run, and now he was flying, shaking off his own troops.

By the time he arrived at the mansion, he could see some traces of blood on the wet grass, yet no guards were left outside. But they definitely got attacked. His steps were rushed as he smashed his own doors open, walking swiftly through the corridors, ignoring all his subjects calling for him. He saw his mother on the way to the corridor leading to the sleeping quarters. She glanced at him with a grave expression.

"You only just missed the attacks, my son", she stated. "But there are others left to the West, we need your assistance with those…"

"Any casualties?", he inquired absently.

"A few…"

"Where is Rin?", he asked with more concerns.

The Lady Mother huffed. "We are under attack and the only thing you can think about is your human, Sesshomaru?"

"Where is she?", he asked again in a snarl.

The Lady Mother sighed. "I have no clue. I have not searched for her. She must be in her own room, or in the study, maybe…"

Sesshomaru didn't let her finish and ran towards Rin's quarters.

He had a terrible feeling, and couldn't track her scent anywhere. He usually never had any difficulty locating her in the mansion. He opened her door, and saw no one. He tried his own room, and saw no one again…Yet…He came back to the corridor with a frown…He could pick up something…It was her scent, yes…He looked around and then…his eyes widened.

The curtain flew and revealed that the window at the end of the corridor was broken, a piece of torn white silk hanging from broken glass.

He took the piece of fabric and brought it to his nose, panic taking over his rationality…at the realization that Rin…was gone.

"Sesshomaru", called the Lady Mother.

He glanced back at her with ice-cold wrath. "You let this happen", he accused ominously.

The Lady Mother glanced at the fabric, and blinked with confusion. "…Rin's kimono…Where did you find it?"

"The window!", he barked, not making any effort to conceal his fury anymore.

Sasori frowned. "You see…I had other obligations than babysitting your ward, Sesshomaru. And you have responsibilities as well. The village at the Western Hill got…"

He didn't listen and just jumped from the broken window, damaging it even more, leaving his yelling mother, hysteric guards and servants, duty and honour behind, in search for Rin. He ran desperately, trying to pick up a scent through the humid vegetation, unable to stay in place even though he had no trace to follow… she could be anywhere, in danger or even dead.

He kept running. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't fathom it was possible for him to lose her again. Two times had been enough; three would be unforgivable.

He'd rather die himself than see her die another time.

…End of chapter…

A/N: What WHAT?! It wouldn't be an acceptable Sess/Rin if Rin doesn't get kidnapped at least once, right?!

Yeah I know, no need to yell…I know…another nasty syndrome of: everything going slow until the end…But yeah…you wait, dear readers…those who prefer quick pace will be served next time (ahem…brace yourselves).

Guest: Hahaha, everyone is waiting for THE part. Meh sorry, the time hasn't come yet. Thanks for the review ;)

Karrat: There it is! Thanks for the cheers!

Jj: Well she did knock at his door this time ;) Thanks for the review.

Gingersnaps: Yeah sorry, only heated chapters would make it boring now, wouldn't it :P? Yes, I suppose Rin now needs to prove she is worthy, but that involves cat fights with lady mother, though! Thank you for your review :)

Nba: I'm glad you like this fic, I do my best with consistent update! Thanks for the review!


	17. Scarlet Sunset

A/N : If I may indulge myself with a childish remark…I was a little tortured by the number of reviews: 199…really?! You absolutely HAD to wait for the next chapter for another single comment? Is that a vengeance for all the cliffhangers?!

Hahaha, whatever…it forced me to update. Thank you again for all the feedback!

And now…

Enjoy!

Chapter 17: Scarlet Sunset

The azure sky loomed over green lands, while the sun was timidly hiding behind a white misty mask. That day was beautiful and full of promises, yet grey clouds could be seen here and there, the forerunner of a darker time ahead.

A gentle and warm breeze caressed yellowish jade feathers…the little bird blown away by summer's breath. The frail creature looked down, at the green hills and tall trees, gradually going down in search of its landing point. As small as it was, the little bird knew where it was going.

Just like a magnet, it instinctively approached its goal, hidden in a dark stony building disfiguring the wild landscape. The fortress barely had any windows, most of them discreet arrow slits, to shoot any foes coming too close.

Yet it didn't deter the frail mejiro bird, who swiftly got inside, in search for the lost member of its flock.

…

Sesshomaru ran and ran some more, through the forest, valleys and flower fields, in search for Rin.

He may be running, but his rhythm wasn't as frantic as it was before. The dread was still there, but he had retrieved his composure, which was a good thing, because he needed to think.

The rain had hidden any scent that could have guided him. It was truly a bother that his most acute sense was completely useless to find her back. However, he wasn't without wits and instinct.

The window that had been broken was in fact, a discreet one, most of the time concealed behind curtains, for it was quite useless, since it was oriented towards the North. Except to let a few shy sunbeams get in, that hole…was just a pointless weakness in his mansion…

However, if the culprits weren't complete idiots, it was very possible they had chosen this narrow window, even though it wasn't the easiest to go out from, because it was already oriented towards their destination, avoiding them pointless troubles and reducing the risks of being seen. Sesshomaru also did track a few footsteps going through to wide vegetation up North, though he wasn't sure it belonged to the intruders he had to track down. Furthermore, if those who had abducted Rin were from the Heartlands, they would probably have guessed that going straight to the East would be too predictable, more to the West would be a dangerous detour, as would be the South: humans would likely assist Rin…but the North though…led to the Central Empire as much as the East. It was a logical path to follow for culprits from the Central Lands…assuming they came from there. And so…Sesshomaru decided to go North, in hope his deductions and speculations weren't false.

His hand tightened on the piece of ripped kimono as he kept running, in search for other footprints, or a scent, anything…yet his mind was distracted, not only by Rin's disappearance, but also by the reason why it had happened in the first place. It wasn't a pure coincidence the intruders had stolen Rin when he wasn't around to protect her, it couldn't be... Someone who knew of Rin's comings and goings had something to do with this. Those who had abducted her…were helped from someone from his court…

His jaw tensed in anger...He'd rather not speculate on who would have done such a thing. For this traitor, it mattered not, whether Rin would be found dead or alive, because such treachery was only punishable by a very painful death.

His dark thoughts were then unfocused by a new pale piece of silk, lying on the grass, still wet from the rain, odourless, but even then, as Sesshomaru picked it he knew…he knew that piece belonged to her…it was made from the same silky fabric. From its rectangular shape, he could only guess it was a small part of her obi.

Invigorated by his discovery, he jumped over the treetops, pupils narrowed by the hard-hitting sunrays as his amber eyes searched for more clues.

…

"Come on Ichiro! One tiny chunk, nothing else!"

"NO! We have to deliver her alive, remember?!"

"I never meant to kill her…just a little bite…"

"Forget that, I haven't forgotten what happened to the last maiden you munched, Kazu! You can't control this hungry belly of yours!"

Rin gulped as she observed the two repulsive beasts, debating whether or not they should take a bite of her before they delivered her to their master, bickering like two giant children over a toy.

The oddest part of that awful story was that she didn't fear them that much. They may be ugly demons physically much stronger than her, but it seemed to her that they weren't that smart. In fact, they hadn't even searched her and had no clue her dagger was still hidden under her ripped obi. And she sure knew how to use it. She could still remember Sango's self defence lesson in her head, her voice soft and hard at the same time…and very focused…

_Hold the blade firmly Rin…index and thumb on opposite sides…_

"Did they say she had to be perfectly fine? They just said they wanted her alive!"

"In your dreams idiot! We can't fail this time!"

Rin watched the big lizards, spotting their vitals… She would probably have to aim a bit higher than her usual fashion, just in case, they were tall…

_Take a step back. Extend your arm…_

"Just a bite…"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

_And then you stab. Stab again. Stab one last time and run!_

The hand resting on her stomach instinctively flinched as a very unexpected noise pulled her out of her dark plans. Her eyes widened at the feathery intruder, resting on her shoulder.

"T-tomen? Is that you?"

The little bird titled its head in apparent confusion, but it was definitely the little one she had taken care of, its splint still on its broken leg, hanging in what looked like an uncomfortable position. In other situations, Rin may have scolded the bird that she wanted to heal, but she was so happy and confused all at once to see it, that she couldn't help but smile, and stroked gently the neck of the little bird, who close its eyes at the mark of affection. It sure was very trusting for a wild bird…

"How did you find me?"

It was a sad thing the tiny creature couldn't talk, because Rin was very curious. She looked through the bars of the cell door, the guards hadn't even noticed that a bird had flown past them…Rin stared back at the little bird.

"Tell me little Tomen, what would you do if you were me?", she wondered in a whisper.

She felt confident that she could probably trick these monsters and get away from them in no time if she tried, but she wasn't sure it would be the safest plan. Assuming she would be able to escape, she would need to find her way back to the castle, and she had no demonic senses to help her out, and no map either…

Also…they may have walked all night long, but she was quite sure they were still deep in the Western Lands, a demon territory…So…assuming she would indeed escape, she would not only need to find her way back to the castle, but she would also need to stay away from wild demons lurking, who might mistake her for a meal. Worse…the castle was under attack when she got captured…What if she encountered demons from the Heartlands on her way back? With their human extermination agenda, these would probably be even more dangerous than wildings from the Western Lands…

And last but not least, there was also the fact that Sesshomaru may (or may not) already be back from the Northern frontiers and searching for her. If she waited a little longer…maybe he would show up, and she wouldn't need to risk her life to get away from these monsters…She knew he wouldn't be fond of the idea of her getting away on her own, and especially not the part involving a fight with two lizard demons, with only a weak dagger for weapon…She didn't even succeeded killing one, the last time she had fought these types of foes…

Rin glanced back at the bird, now resting on her index finger. She smiled sadly at it.

"Tomen, could you fetch Sesshomaru-sama for me, please?", she tried half jokingly, half hopingly. "You know, the impressive and handsome inuyoukai dressed in white? Could you find him and bring him here?"

The little bird just titled its head and flew way, through the only arrow slit in the cell. Rin frowned in confusion and walked towards the poor excuse of a window to glance at her departing friend, wondering if it was just a coincidence, or the bird had really understood what she just said…

…

A man in a dark cloak stared down at his victim, only the lower part of his face seen by the prisoner. The captive looked at the nasty serrated blade his torturer was holding, soaking with his own blood.

"I'll try again…", started the dark dressed man with a smirk. "Who are you?"

The prisoner just closed his lips and looked down.

"Who sent you?"

"…"

"Why are you here?"

"…"

"What did you hope to find?"

"…"

"You know the capital of the Central Empire is not an easy place to infiltrate, right?"

"…"

"If you keep being shy as a maiden, I'll have to cut you more, you know that, right?"

"…"

The dark cloaked man smirked and stabbed between two ribs, the prisoner holding his lips tight to avoid a scream, as more of his blood poured at his feet, struggling instinctively against the chains in a deep desire to hold the injury to keep the blood from escaping his body. There was only so much blood a body, even demonic, could lose without dying, and he had bled so much already, he started to feel dizzy.

Then he heard the sound of the door opening in a loud creak, two imperial guards getting in, followed by a feminine figure covered with a white cloak. One of the guards stayed close to the door, while the other one and the white silhouette approached the captive slowly.

"So this is him?", wondered the woman with a soft voice.

"Yes…", answered the frowning dark cloaked man. "My lady…you do not have to do this."

"I shall insist, I wanted to see his kind with my own eyes", she replied back with a reassuring whisper.

The prisoner's jaw tightened, a tad reassured this frail woman was allowed inside…desperately wishing that his injuries were going to be treated…her voice had something merciful in it. He knew this mission was going to be perilous, but he had infiltrated foreign towns a thousand times. He never thought this one would be his downfall. He had a wife and children to feed; he couldn't just die like this…

The woman with the white cloak walked slowly around the prisoner, her high okobos clicking in a dry echo in the prison cell. She finally kneeled down to be at the captive's eye level. He couldn't see her face well, except for two big, entrancing blue eyes. She removed her hood.

The prisoner's green eyes widened and shock, his body starting to tremble with control, as he kept staring in fear at the white haired woman. She was so beautiful and juvenile, yet the blue of her eyes was suddenly so cold he was afraid to catch frostbites, and her face…pale and spectre-like under the moonlight gave her a macabre beauty that couldn't be a good omen for him.

However, what troubled him the most was her identity. He had a feeling he knew who this woman might be and if he was right…it would mean that he was doomed.

"I was told you aren't a very talkative captive", she commented with her misty voice.

The prisoner tried to hold back his shaking; he wasn't going to give in. He stayed as quiet and as still as possible...yet silently expressing deep sorrow. The frail demoness looked at him with a dejected expression, all of a sudden, as if she had taken a pity on him.

"…You will have to enlighten us, or else we can't save you…", she begged, almost angel-like.

His trait hardened. He didn't stay a word.

"Even though your aura is demonic, it reeks of half-breeds…"

"…"

"Your type of eye-patch is not typical from anyone from the lands. You are sent from Kun'Ketsu, are you not?", she inquired with a frown.

The prisoner's jaw tightened, but he remained quiet.

"SPEAK YOU FOOL!", screamed the dark hooded man, while stabbing another time.

This time the prisoner couldn't control himself and yelled desperately in pain, and fought again against the chains as the blood spilled some more. The torturer punched at the fresh injury, causing more screams and cries of agony. The woman, who had stood up to get away from the blood, stared down at prisoner with wisps of disdain.

"Of course he is from Kun'Ketsu. I wouldn't believe any demon from the lands would react so much to pain", she commented. She kneeled one last time and touched the face of the victim with a cold hand, caressing it softly.

"I don't understand…You would have so much to earn if only you would talk. Don't you have people you care for? You want to leave them with nothing because of indecent half breed islands?"

The prisoner closed his eyes in resignation. The woman's lips turned into a pout.

"So disappointing…Well…we will need to investigate on our own, anyway", she observed, as she walked back towards the door.

"What do we do with him, Lady Amane?", inquired the dark cloaked figure.

"May he be purified for the afterlife...Cleanse him", she ordered.

Serrated blade slashed the prisoner's neck, breathlessness and blood spillage killing him after only a few moments of agony, his body turning limp, red pooling on the cold floor.

Lady Amane didn't look at the crimson mess. She never had a taste for gruesome sights. She inspected her white cloak with a tad of concern, but was quickly reassured by her examination: confirming her appearance was as immaculate as usual.

Another spy gone. It was the fourth this week. None had spoken, yet a few of her feline vassals had confirmed her these demons smelled of humans and the sea. They must come from Kun'Ketsu…there was no other possibility. She wondered who they thought they were…these pirates, sending spies like this. No way they were powerful enough for any sort of open attacks to her Empire.

Afterwards she clenched her teeth, as she thought back of the letter she had received from the Western Lands…Sesshomaru's brief and dry reply to her request regarding the chaos provoked by the humans. He merely stated that "these humans were not harmful to the Western Lands", that "the snakes reaped what they sowed" and that there was no way he would deploy troops to aid wild tribes terrorizing his own people. How narrow minded he was. His people will be terrorized again if he kept behaving unwisely. He had to pick the right side…and until now, he seemed to be only glancing at the wrong one. How pathetic…and she thought that her warning at the wedding would have been useful…Why was he not listening to reason? He had everything to lose!

The empress briefly wondered if the mortal loose woman he kept around could the cause of his strange behaviour…

She sighed…if simple words didn't work well with him, maybe the second warning won't be ignored…At least it may remind him what will happen to his pretty castle if he kept acting so arrogantly…

…

Sesshomaru felt deep disquiet, as if his instincts wanted to warn him of an imminent danger. He frowned as he kept flying under the thick clouds, hoping to find more traces of Rin soon as he inspected the ground as best as he could…hoping to see or to hear something of use…

He was worried. He couldn't always understand the source of his qualms right away, but when he felt as such, it never was a good sign... And not knowing what he should feel dread for disturbed him profoundly. He hoped nothing bad had happened to her.

However, his sixth sense spoke again, as he glanced down at a pristine stream flowing through the forest. He landed on the ground and walked a few steps, inspecting the area.

There was nothing unusual…No suspicious scent, he could only hear the delicate melody of the small river…and a bird chirping.

"Hmph."

He kept going, on foot this time, expecting some other sign to show itself eventually…but everything was so quiet, he now heard the stream from afar, as he slowly got away from it…and the bird twittering…

The bird? He frowned and stopped in his tracks. He stared around him but couldn't see it.

The day was sunny and hot…why could he hear the bird as if it was next to him…when the river was now so far away? The water should attract the bird, not an inuyoukai!

Why would he bother with a bird anyway? He kept walking, but he kept hearing the sound of flapping wings and the bird emitting high pitched noise…He had heard it his entire way down the forest and now he started to be slightly annoyed by the disturbing sounds of the little nestling who seemed to have a sudden need to pollute the quietness of Sesshomaru's journey. The lord of the Western Lands didn't have time to be distracted by such a helpless creature. Now he sure wished he could kill it at once…

After a while, Sesshomaru reached a clearing and glanced up at the sky, unsure whether he should stay on foot or not…Maybe he could actually miss a clue if he decided to fly…

Then the unwanted intruder, apparently having no hiding spot in the middle of the field, flew over the inuyoukai's head and landed on one of the spikes of Sesshomaru's armour. He stared at the frail creature, half offended, half surprised by its behaviour. Why would a wild mortal bird land on him like this? He stared at it for a moment, the feathery animal titling its head as amber eyes inspected it.

Now was certainly the best moment to get rid of this nuisance at once. The bird was literally giving away its life to him…

That…was what Sesshomaru thought, until he noticed the bird was only standing on one leg…the other one covered with a strange white fabric. His eyes widened and eyebrows turned into a confused frown.

"That bird?"

…

Rin glanced through the arrow slit again, but she could only see the blue of the sky, again... Deep…sickening blue…and a few clouds…it had been like this for hours…or maybe days, she wasn't sure…This cell without any real windows made her lose all sense of time. It was so dark that it was almost impossible to differentiate day and night.

She sighed in despair, thinking Tomen had been gone for a while; maybe he didn't understand her request after all...Of course…how could a bird comprehend what she had said? Especially that type of innocent bird…It wasn't a raven or anything particularly smart…

…Maybe she won't have a choice and will have to take the matters into her own hands. Maybe it was even a good thing. If she succeeded finding her way back to the castle, Sesshomaru will stop treating her as if she were completely helpless. He might even let her get out of the castle on her own once in a while…

Rin heard guttural voices coming from the corridors. She instinctively stood up, grabbed her dagger, and hid it behind her back as she laid on the wall next to the door, still as a stone, to listen to her foes.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Kazu?"

"Who cares? Ichiro is gone now! He won't even notice…as long as she breathes…"

"You are probably right, that idiot is as blind as he is deaf", retorted a third creature Rin had never heard before.

Rin startled as they opened the door more quickly than she had anticipated, red and yellow eyes spotting her very quickly, one of demon licking his lips, the other one looking at her in an even more unpleasant way.

"She's pretty", commented the last one.

Rin shuddered.

"Have your way, and I'll take my bite after", retorted Kazu.

Rin gasped, as one of the beasts approached her.

It smirked. "Don't be afraid little sun. I don't wanna hurt…I just wanna try your beams a little"

Both creatures laughed out loud, as panic took over Rin, her hand tightening over the blade behind her back.

_Hold it firmly…index and thumb on opposites side…_

The creature extended one of his hand to try to catch her, but Rin avoided it with one swift step to the right, her limbs trembling.

_Take a step back. Extend your arm…_

Rin took a step back, her lips becoming a thin line as she frowned at the beast hatefully. It smirked again.

"Aww come on. Don't be feisty now. We don't have time for that"

"Quick you idiot!", barked Kazu.

_Stab. Stab again. Stab one last time and run!_

High pitched scream echoed through the cell as Rin stabbed three quick times at the disgusting beast, blood soiling her white garbs.

She ran towards the exit but Kazu was blocking the way. She gasped as she noticed he now wore an armour! Too bad, she had to improvise. She avoided a kick and aimed at his neck, piercing it clumsily, yet accurately enough to make the beastly lizard scream in agony.

Rin gasped, pulled at her dagger out of her victim and ran the quickest she could in the corridors, running in the stairs…running for her life…

She wasn't sure how many stairs she had hurtled down, but she knew when she saw leaves through a rare window that she was low enough. She opened it and jumped on a branch, going down the tree like a monkey, so full of adrenaline she was.

She fell on the grass and ran…not even hearing ruckus coming from the fortress…she wasn't even sure the corpses had been found yet…or if Kazu and the perverted one were truly dead…

Rin may not be the most dangerous foe in demon territory, but if there was one thing she was good at…it was running away quickly. She had learned to run a lot when she was little, when she smuggled things to survive as an orphan…She also run away from demons a lot, when she was under Sesshomaru's care…And now her legs had grown tall…so she could run fairly quickly. Even Sesshomaru had a bit of a hard time to catch up with her in his own gardens…It must mean something…

She glanced over her shoulder and noticed how far the building was already. She gasped and smiled in delight! She did it! She just killed two demons and had fled from her cell! It was the first time in her life that she killed demons without any assistance. And now she was free in the Western Lands, bloody dagger in hands, ready to strike at anything that may approach her…

She smiled victoriously. Now she only had to find her way back…

…

The sound of constant water lapping may soothe her a little, but Rin started to think she had rejoiced way to quickly. She wiped the sweat from her brows as she kept walking, holding her dagger in one hand, and her zoris in the other. The sun was burning and the humidity hard to bear. The air was so thick and sluggish …it was almost as bad as when Sesshomaru or Sasori got angry… Rin could hardly breathe!

She kneeled in front of the river and washed her face to cool herself down. She had walked for hours now, and she hadn't found any signs of civilization. She was starting to worry. She didn't think it was the same path as the one her kidnappers had used. She wasn't even sure she was walking in the right direction. She did notice, when she had regained consciousness, that they were walking North, the position of the green moss on the trees a clear sign of it. Rin had thought she only needed to walk south, while following a reassuring supply of water, convinced everything would be fine, but maybe the lizard's itinerary had been more complicated than expected…

Then Rin heard the sound of rustling leaves. She gasped and stared behind her in worry, holding her blade tight. No way she would let other lizards knock her out again!

Her hazel eyes narrowed at the bushes. She was sure she had seen them move. She made a few steps in their direction to examine them more carefully, but more rustling made her stop in her tracks. She inspected the leaves in hopes to see something…and wasn't disappointed.

All blood left her face as she saw a massive scaled green tale crawl between the branches. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Instead she silently walked back to the pathway and ran as fast as she could, in hopes to lose the beast.

The head of the snake rose from the vegetation; to stare lazily had the potential prey that had just escaped, quickly sticking its forked tongue out.

…

"My lady…it appears the intruders have penetrated the mansion through the study. They must have climbed the bulwarks, walked on the roof until they fell into the inner courtyard, spotted Rin inside the study and followed her until there was no guard around", Jaken explained thoughtfully, watching a broken window close to the bookshelves.

The Lady Mother stared impassively at the hole as well. "They followed her all the way to the corridors, you say?"

"It seems so…"

"How could they do that? There were guards at the entrance of the study…"

"About that…". Jaken coughed uncomfortably. "I was told one of the guards was away, flirting with a maid, while the other one was… sleeping on the job…", he murmured, looking left and right, hoping no one had heard.

The Lady Mother smiled icily. "Sleeping? While we were under attack?"

"…Buro the sleeper has witnessed many other attacks in his life, my lady."

Sasori held her chin, in an apparent pensive fashion. "Hmm…maybe this Buro has seen one too many …" She turned around and glanced down at Jaken. "Little demon, seize the two soldiers at once with the help of the royal guards. Make them talk as much as possible…"

"To make them confess their sins, my lady?"

"Yes…the more detailed information we will get from the incident, the best chances are it will soothe my son's fury, once he comes back from his quest to fetch his human…"

"Her name is Rin, my lady…", reminded Jaken uneasily.

Sasori narrowed her eyes. "I know that…"

"Lady Sasori!", exclaimed a guard, while running towards her.

"What?", she inquired dryly. Everyone was after her since Sesshomaru's departure. It was truly annoying how everybody around here lost all their bearings in cloud and fog when their usual leader was not around.

"I apologize for the disturbance", he answered, bowing low. "The royal guards are back from the Western Hill. Our mission is complete. The intruders are annihilated."

"Good…at least a few people care about their duties around here", she commented with slight annoyance.

The guard glanced at her with his chest swelling with pride. "We have other good news as well. One of our promising recruits held captive an archer from the enemies; he gave us very valuable information in hopes to be spared. We thought you might want to hear him with your own ears.

"May you enlighten me with an insight?"

"This attack…was an official order from the Central Lands to their wildlings…"

Sasori raised an eyebrow. She remembered Lady Amane had said the Central Lands had limited control on their wildings, during the wedding. How come they could order them around, then?

"The archer said that?", she inquired suspiciously.

"Yes…my lady."

"Does he know something of the Central Lands' motivations?"

"He said the onslaught on our lands and the castle was meant to be distraction …"

"For their attacks on the northern borders maybe?"

"No…He said the Central Lands took the opportunity to send scouts on our lands during the attacks…", murmured the soldier with a frown. "They are searching for hanyous…the wildings were told we may hide pirate armies from Kun'Ketsu or something of the sort…"

Sasori's eyes narrowed. She massaged her temples in frustration…What was the meaning of this? Did Lady Amane knew of their pact with the half breeds already? How was it possible?

"Should we try to find these scouts, my lady?"

"Why? If this is hanyous they are searching for…they won't find any…we aren't a nation of half-breeds yet, if I remember correctly…"

"What should we do then?"

"Let's not take any chances. Secure the castle and close the eastern frontiers for good. If spies have gotten in, they shall not get out…"

"Understood my lady"

The guard bowed and left, leaving the exasperated Lady of the West alone.

"So it has begun…already", thought Sasori out loud, as she stared at the window thoughtfully, admiring the dark clouds.

_May the empress think twice next time she wants to play with us..._

…

Rin kept walking quickly on the pathway, sincerely hoping it was not a dead end. She wasn't following the river anymore, but she knew she was going South…at least, this is what she thought. There wasn't that much moss left on the tree bark in this area and she may very well go in the wrong direction…but finding her way back to the Western Lands wasn't even her main source of concern anymore.

She glanced over her shoulder worriedly, but she didn't see anything…not this time…

She knew the snake demon was still following her. She could hear it once in a while. She had seen it twice also…stalking her, while it remained hidden behind trees and bushes…It seemed it didn't even matter, if she walked or ran, the reptile was always crawling behind her, not very far, waiting for the best occasion to strike… in a moment of distraction or when she will have to stop from exhaustion. Rin had been trying to lose the monster for hours now. The sun was already lower in the sky. She'd rather not think of what was going to happen after sunset, for she didn't make herself any illusion…She knew very well she will never be back by nightfall. She started to doubt she will ever see the mansion again…

Her heart raced more rapidly in her chest at the thought she may actually die in these woods, leaving everyone behind…to go to the same place Kaede and Kohaku went…

Rin thought of Sesshomaru. The glimmer of the candlelight in his eyes, while he sat in his armchair, his sleeping form, back in Kun'Ketsu, his sweet whispers to her hear, calling her his _dearest_…She thought back of their first kiss, the night of the wedding, under the fireworks…of their first dance together…and the endearing uneasiness he displayed when he had given her the sun pendant…surely one of the first signs of him yielding to his unspoken desires…the beginning of their story…

She shook her head. No…she wasn't going to die like that, just because of one snake that had been pestering her during one afternoon. It didn't even have the hard scales… No…She couldn't let go of her life…let go of Sesshomaru like that. He had saved her so many times…no way she could abandon him…

She turned on her heels and unsheathed her blade, looking at the foliage with contempt. She had enough of this vicious foe!

"Is it me that you want, beast?!", she shouted to the forest, with a frown. "You filthy snake! Get out of your hiding spot!"

No answer…

"Come on! Will you wait for me to go to sleep to strike?! How pathetic is that!", she taunted.

She didn't have to insult more…The snake finally got out of its hideout, narrow and forked tongue sticking out in one swift movement, while eyeing her. Rin raised her sword and pointed at the foe in a daring fashion, ready to meet her fate.

…

"What? What do you mean the frontiers are closed? How is it possible?!", exclaimed the blue lady in cold fury at the terrified messenger in front of her.

"I-I-I don't know! The feral tribes keep saying every mile of the frontier is being watched on the west-southern part. There is no way they can provide reinforcement to their flying fighters."

"Why would they send reinforcements? The tribes got exterminated already?"

"We-we don't know for sure…"

"Was Lord Sesshomaru on the field?"

"W-we don't know…as I said, the borders are closed, nothing can cross: even the birds flying from a side to the other are shot…We know nothing of the confrontation yet…"

Lady Amane took a deep breath and repressed a sigh. It seems that Lord Sesshomaru had been perceptive… Only a few hours and the borders were closed! What a hostile response…he definitely had a good supply of guards left in his domain…He had obviously expected an attack…

"Should we send imperial guards at the borders, my lady?", inquired a knight in a silvery armour, standing next to her throne.

"No…this assault was only meant to be a warning. Let the West be for now…", she ordered icily.

"My lady, if I may be so bold, most of the nomads intended to retreat after only a few blows on the castle and neighbouring villages. How can the survivors get back home if the borders are closed?", inquired the knight.

"There are risks to every conflict…"

"So…we let them die…"

"Yes…alas…", she replied, with a sorry look, as the messenger bowed and left.

Amane played nervously with a strand of hair. She had only wanted to make a few cracks to this pretty castle of glass of _his_, to make him see what happens when he stands up to the Empress of the Heartlands…

This man thought he was so invincible… With the weapon he had furbished to the mortals and the dirty spies he had let cross his lands…the decline of her request in regards to human havoc was the last straw. This rebuff couldn't have gone without consequences.

Yet…she hadn't wanted a full confrontation between the wildings and his royal guards yet…It was meant to be a lightning attack to avoid important casualties…A simple warning it was supposed to be…

Now…with the wildings exterminated, it meant that she will be on bad terms with even more of her tribes at once…now that is a bother.

She sighed. She will have to be more mindful from now on…

…

The snake raised itself high in a threatening fashion, while making a gloomy bell-like noise with the tip of its tail. It opened its mouth to show long fangs and charged at Rin, who dodged it swiftly and cut its back. The beast hissed angrily and it turned towards her again, trying to bite. Rin only stayed a mere instant longer in front of it and moved away, her arm holding the weapon leaving the snake's range last… to slice at its eye, successfully again.

The beast let a long painful hiss, while cold blood and other remnants of the destroyed yellow eye fell on the grass. Rin slightly flinched in disgust, turning her head away, but her narrowed eyes widened, at what she saw through the foliage: two other beasts staring at her while the other one still bled not far away.

Rin shook her head in bewilderment. "No…"

Everything was under control just a minute before…Where were these two coming from? The two other snakes approached her quickly, hissing in irritation, blocking both ends of the pathway, as the other one still recovered from the attack. She looked with panic around her, for a way of escape…

"…NO!", Rin exclaimed in desperation.

She was trapped! The vegetation was so thick around here, if she dared run through the wild forest, it would only be a matter of seconds before one of them catches up with her and kill her for good!

The injured reptile charged at Rin again. She barely avoided it with a clumsy jump.

What could she do? Even though it was risky, she could certainly try to defeat one ordinary snake demon…but three?!

Rin felt anger and anguish take over her mind all at once…She couldn't give up now. Not after surviving an abduction, running away from it, and almost defeating a third demon all in the same day…

She let an aggressive and desperate scream leave her lungs as she charged on the injured beast, intent on killing it, for two others will certainly kill her first if she didn't act quick.

…

Sesshomaru glanced at the bird in annoyance, as he kept running towards a forest again. He wasn't following the bird…it was merely flying in the same direction as him…

The temperature was damp and unbearable, yet a slight breeze brought the remnants of a scent he knew very well…

_Rin…_

He had to find her as quick as possible. He had such a bad feeling…

Thick clouds covered the dying sun…giving it a scarlet hue as he reached the main pathway of the silent forest...He couldn't help but notice a deep quietness lingering…the vegetation was old and sparse, letting red sunrays come in, yet it was as if all the birds and harmless animals inhabiting the lush valleys dared not enter this forbidden place.

Then, a swift dry gust brought more information to the inuyoukai's sense of smell. He frowned…

_Blood…_

A high-pitched scream pierced the toxic noiselessness, making his eyes widen. He didn't wait a minute more and he accelerated his race, ignoring the exhaustion from all the running and flying around all day…He ran until the vegetation was so deep barely no sun pierced through the branches and leaves.

The bird did the same, flying at its fastest speed in front of him, it was even surprising a bird of this size could fly so speedily…

Sesshomaru ran on a steep hillock, and the sight he had when he reached the top of him gave him chills of fright…

Rin…fighting, with her small dagger…three snakes demon all at once! He felt his heart race and blood boil in his veins as he tried to catch up with them before it was too late. Worry was literally consuming him…yet anger was there as well…very strong…anger…

She had done it again…acting recklessly with a pathetic human weapon on demon territory. She knew she wasn't strong enough to survive such a fight. A single elk demon and three snakes were very different things. And he could smell there were many other foes nearby… Sesshomaru felt his jaw tighten as he unsheathed Bakusaiga. He had done so much for her to make sure she would be safe… How could she be so reckless? Did she not value her life?

One of the snakes smelled the imminent danger and stared back at the new threat, but didn't even have the time to react before its head got sliced off in one lethal blow. Sesshomaru clenched his teeth and he pierced through the second one, blood spilling messily on him. He stared at the last one…a very irritated-looking reptile covered in superficial cuts hissing at Rin. The snake did have an eye in less, but that wasn't going to kill it at all. Rin though…was panting heavily, and barely avoided the last attack in her direction. She hadn't even noticed Sesshomaru's presence. He frowned and ran in their direction, cutting the entire beast in two before Rin had a chance to make another rash move. She was startled by the flash of red, not understanding what had just happened, until the white figure stood still in front of her.

Rin gasped. He was there. Sesshomaru had found her. She felt happiness engulf her all in a drowning wave.

"My lord! It is such a relief!", she exclaimed as she laid her hands on her knees to recover her breath.

She couldn't help but inspect her surroundings…He had killed all the others. She looked at the dusky sky through the leaves, noticing Tomen flying over them. She glanced back at Sesshomaru with a smile and made a few steps towards him, bloody blade still in hand.

"So you got guided by…"

She stopped talking, walking…and breathing, as she noticed his expression. His amber eyes lethally cold glaring at her. He was furious.

Rin's lower lip quivered, as realization struck her. Of course, he had every reason to be angry. She had gotten herself into trouble and forced him to search for her everywhere. And he had caught her fighting three snake demons, which may very well have killed her if he hadn't shown up in time. The very reason why he didn't want her to wander or fight on her own had materialized before his very eyes.

She gasped as he firmly caught her wrist, clutching it fiercely, almost painfully, as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn't make any other idiocies with it. She looked at him with wide eyes, as he stared back with ambers burning with silent wrath.

Rin couldn't breathe. Sesshomaru didn't say a word and it was terrible. In fact, she just hoped he would do something, anything: yell at her, take his true form, but not glare at her this way, as if he thought she didn't even deserve to live anymore. His silence and these eyes were the most lethal weapons for her soul.

Then Rin winced as he snatched her dagger roughly from her hand and threw it far…far away…over the tree tops, but Rin didn't bother checking where, she had no intention to retrieve it anyway. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. She tried to come closer to embrace him –because she was glad to see him after all–, but as soon as she erased the remaining space left between them, he let her wrist go and turned on his heel, denying her any form of warm gesture, as he crossed his arms.

"So this is how you show respect? Play hero with your toy-blade and fight against three giant snakes at once?", he inquired as he watched the surroundings with resentment.

"I…I…"

"You thought that you could save yourself with mere optimism, maybe?"

"…"

Sesshomaru glanced at her over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. "You are still such a child", he spat with cold fury.

Rin felt tears form at the corner of her eyes. She glanced down in defeat. She didn't know what to say…he was right…she couldn't just play warriors like that in a sudden impulse of courage and think that everything will be fine...

Then a poisonous sentence from the Lady Mother echoed in her mind…

_You must be aware he has already given you so much…much more than any mortal deserves from a demon of his blood…_

Then she gasped as she felt him hold her shoulders firmly, pushing her slowly towards the thick foliage only to stop when her back hit a tree.

"Stay here, if you care about your life", he ordered dryly.

She didn't answer and didn't ask any questions, her eyes widening as she saw more snakes coming from the bushes, charging at him, two or three or more at once, but he defeated them so easily… either by stabbing them, slicing them in half, or annihilating them with the rays of green light his weapon could emit…

Rin stared in disbelief…and she had almost lost her life earlier while fighting only one, firmly believing she could survive, when in fact, the entire area was infested with them! She suddenly felt so stupid, so helpless…The Lady Mother was right…Sesshomaru had given so much already. He had saved her so many times, and how did she thank him again? By running to the grave a third time? She knew there was no way back this time. Kami…she owned to him and his mother the breath in her lungs and her own heartbeat, how could she be so careless? Her vision became blurry…the snakes now unclear. Lady Sasori was right…Sesshomaru had given too much already…constantly making sure she was safe, he never had a second to himself… He kept covering her with gifts, but she had lost most of them, her own house as ephemeral and vulnerable as her…In fact, now that she thought of it…what did she give him in return for everything he did?

Not much, except trouble. A lot of troubles…

She felt a single tear roll down her cheek. Maybe the Lady Mother was right to try to find him a consort. He needed a strong, fully grown, independent woman, who could rule and fight by his side. A woman who could please him in every meaning of the term and bear his children…not some mortal maiden like her! What could she be, in his long life, except a mere distraction to his long-lasting duties?

More tears fell as she sobbed silently. And she had thought she could be an asset for him. Inside his walls…with him and his vassals as company, everything seemed possible, but each time she was left alone, she could see her own differences and weaknesses, and then, all the her beliefs became so hollow… so false…his sweet confessions to her ear smoke and mirrors, for their story was a mere fairy tale…

He kept trying to make her believe she was truly useful to him, yet, she didn't feel like she was particularly intelligent, or gifted with any unique talent. Luck was the only thing that could explain the surprising results of the few quests she had been a part of…And that was the duty part only…she'd rather not think of the bedroom part. She was no woman at all. The mere thought of what she had intended to do, when she had dressed up in white, back in the castle, when she expected his return, still freaked her out. Sesshomaru was right, she was still such a child…She didn't deserve him…

One of the beasts hissed particularly loudly in agony, making her startle again. She didn't notice a small creature crawling close to her ankle…

All of a sudden, Rin's eyes squeezed shut. She winced as she felt a sharp sting through her leg. She gazed down and stopped breathing as she saw a small snake biting her through her kimono, fangs piercing through the fabric and her flesh. She repressed a scream and pulled at it, but the snake was solidly clinging to her, the pain bringing a burning sensation in her veins. Her facial traits contorted with a mix of fury and fright. She took the creature by the neck and pulled at it roughly. Rin yelped at the sharp pain of her flesh being torn open by the fangs. Without thinking, she smashed the snake's head against the trunk and threw it as far as she could.

Completely oblivious to the ending battle, Rin raised her skirts to inspect her leg and opened her mouth in terror as she stared at the gash on her calf, two holes visible, but the injury was nasty, the snake had torn the skin all around it…and it was obviously full of venom…

"No!", Rin whispered in panic.

She tore the lower part of her dress and tied her leg with it, very firmly below the knee, to prevent the poisoned blood from reaching her other limbs. She tried to crouch in a very odd position in an attempt to reach the gash but…

"What happened?"

Rin glanced up at Sesshomaru, as he inspected her coldly, while he sheathed his sword. His amber eyes landed on the injury.

"I-I got bitten…"

He frowned in concern.

"The venom must be removed", she explained in a trembling voice.

"How?", he asked, while kneeling next to her.

"Without any instruments, the only way is to suck at the injury, as quick as possible!"

He didn't wait a minute more, took her leg in his hands and executed himself before she could say a word. She hissed at the sensation, slight ache as he sucked out her blood. He took only a few moments to spit it, with disdain on his features.

"It's…it's done?"

"No… there is more of it", he observed. He could taste the filthy venom in her blood.

Rin hissed as he sucked more at the leg. She looked away, trying to focus on something else.

"There…I think it's gone now", he announced, after spitting a second time and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Rin stared at him with slight fright, as she saw some of her own blood was still on his lower lip and chin. She started to feel a little weak.

"Will you be fine now?", he inquired, glancing back at her.

"I-I think so", she whispered, not very sure of herself.

"Then let's go", he ordered, past iciness back in force, as he walked away.

Rin just proceeded to follow, not even trying to catch up with him, as she remembered her past source of sorrow. How pathetic was that now…he was the one who was fighting dozens of snakes, and yet she was the one getting bitten…She hadn't even been able to treat herself! She started to quiver as her last string of self-control broke, her eyes watering. She had enough of trying to be strong…trying to be someone she wasn't…She had been this person all day…for a long while in fact…and it didn't bring anything good. She still got kidnapped and was still as weak as a rag doll…Even with more confidence, it changed nothing to her…inadequacy…

When she glanced up, she saw Sesshomaru's silhouette standing in front of her, forcing her to stop walking…He was probably staring at her crying form, yet she didn't glance up.

He took her by the chin, ire still plain on his features when he forced her to look at him, but her eyes were glued on the ground.

"Will you just stop your weeping?", he asked dryly.

She didn't answer.

"You aren't a child anymore. Stop behaving like one", he ordered, almost with disdain.

She glanced up at him to finally confront his glare, tears still flowing. She just couldn't control it, tears a never-ending torrent, hiccups and trembling making her all the more miserable. She couldn't help it…She had disappointed him again and she couldn't bear it…

"Just why do you keep saving me all the time? Why…do you care so much? …I don't…I just don't…deserve you. I am not worth it" she murmured, trembling like she was feverish.

He frowned, feeling a bit hurt by what she just said, yet the anger unwavering. "…Get a grip and let's go at once…", he retorted with irritation.

"I don't deserve you", she murmured.

"Stop it…"

"I don't deserve you", she repeated as if she were entranced by the sentence., looking at him, now with a mix of tears and anger "I don't deserve you! I don't deserve anything of what you do for me!"

Getting impatient, he just grabbed her and brought her against his armour, holding her in an embrace of steel "STOP."

"I DON'T DESERVE YOU!", she screamed in a fit of tears, as if she had gone mad.

He pressed his lips roughly against hers to make her cease her madness, in a mix of infuriation and worries for her, as she kept weeping more, her body trembling against his lips and armour. She couldn't help it and kissed him back, even though his lips were pressed so hard it was a bit painful, yet the firmness of his grip was loosening as the seconds passed by, his anger and her anguish melting at the closeness. He pulled away suddenly, looking at her with a penetrating gaze.

"You know why I'm mad…", he just stated stoically.

"I suppose so…", she whispered sadly.

He slid his arms around her again, holding her petite frame delicately this time.

"Yes you know. You know very well…", he whispered reproachfully. "I told you that already."

"…Because you care…and you don't want me to die", she answered with a small voice, her traits then contorting with bitterness. "…Yet I keep attracting trouble like a magnet…I am just a prey in here…"

Then she kept weeping silently.

"Stop crying", he ordered with irritation.

She sobbed more.

"Stop", he ordered to her ear, softer this time.

She laid her head on his shoulder, crying on it, unable to control the flow of tears from coming. She felt like all her sanity had left with her might.

"…Stop…", he barely audibly whispered, now caressing her hair. "Rin, please…Just stop…crying"

"…"

"…Stop…", he said one last time, as soft as a lullaby, pulling away and wiping the tears softly with his thumb.

And then she finally stopped, as if she had finally gotten dry of all her sorrow, her livid face staring up at him.

"Y-you have dried blood on your lip…it's-it's bugging me", she observed, absently. She looked so pale…"Please remove it."

He blinked in slight surprise and simply obeyed. He frowned as he observed the ghastly colour of her face. "Rin…Will you be okay?"

Her frail body answered before her mouth could: she felt her legs crumble beneath her… his eyes widening and he caught her before she could land on the rocky path.

"It was only a small snake, we removed the poison", he stated. "Rin….You are okay", he added, imperatively.

She looked at him with a sad smile. "…I suppose…that the venom must have spread anyway…"

The leftovers from anger evaporated instantly. He felt acid fear creeping up his spine, as he cupped her face with his hand, feeling the cold sweats on her skin.

He opened his mouth hesitantly. "…Rin…You life is not in danger…right?", he asked in a voice so low she could barely hear him. "It was only a small snake…", he repeated.

She looked down. "I-I don't know…I think the small snakes can be the worst, sometimes…"

He froze, as his eyes widened in realization. He spoke no more and flew away with her in his arms.

He couldn't lose her, not now…not after all this time…He glanced down and saw how her eyelids seemed heavy all of a sudden, her fever only getting more intense as time passed by.

"Stay with me", he ordered.

"You will have to help me with that…", she mumbled.

"You can talk."

"…I'm not sure I can't think of anything. Please ask questions…"

"…Tell me how you got abducted and everything that has happened to you after, in details."

"Two lizards demons got in the mansion, I don't know how…they knocked me out and…"

"Where were the guards protecting you?", he cut her off dryly.

"Gone to assist Lady Sasori. We were under attack."

Sesshomaru frowned darkly.

"They imprisoned me. The bird showed up and after a while. I told him to fetch you, I didn't think Tomen would actually find you, but anyway… then the lizards opened the door of my cell to…take a…bite at me or something…"

She felt Sesshomaru's arms stiffen.

"So…I grabbed my dagger and killed them. I suppose it never crossed their mind that a human girl could carry a weapon…",

"You killed demons?"

"I-I'm not sure…but they were bloody and lying on the floor when I was done…I didn't care, I just wanted to flee…they didn't pursue me so I can only assume…"

"And then you met the snakes?"

"One of them…it kept following me for hours form afar…I tried to run, but it always caught up with me, and I started to feel tired…I thought…you know… I thought my only choice was to defeat it before I got too exhausted to defend myself… That snake didn't have the hard scales or anything…"

"…I'm sorry."

"W-what?"

"I judged you wrongly", he explained with barely concealed unease. " I thought you had challenged the three of them at once…"

"I am not _that_ impulsive, my lord…", she commented, sounding almost offended.

"I know. Forgive me", he insisted in a whisper. He felt miserable for scolding her so much; he was the one who had been thoughtless…

Rin felt lighter, but she didn't know if it was because of his apology or the poison getting inside her brain. She glanced at the red sky and smiled.

"You arrived just in time…again", she whispered, then her brief happiness receded in gloom. "How could I ever repay you…for everything that you do…"

"Just keep breathing."

Nothing was said for a short moment, Rin's form completely still, Sesshomaru felt panic as he saw her eyelids growing heavy again.

"Please ask something", she begged.

His facial traits tensed…there was another question he was dying to ask. He glanced at her suffering form in his arms…The prospect of losing her again was unbearable…

"Rin…I…" He stopped talking, visibly troubled.

"What is it?"

"I cannot wait any longer. I need to know…", he glanced back at her, with a concerned expression. "Which path do you choose?"

She gasped and glanced back at him in surprise, nervousness taking over.

"Rin…Answer me. Do you want to stay with humans…or with me?", he asked again, more directly, with a frown.

"With you", she answered, with a new wave of confidence, as she touched his cheek tenderly.

He glanced at her, taken aback. Even though he had been expecting it for a while…he still felt his heartbeat accelerate. "Are you certain?"

"…If my desires are your only concern…Then yes, I want to be with you. Since our first kiss, I knew this is what I wanted…", she said with a trembling voice. She felt her eyes itch again. "I love you so much…I've never felt such a strong feeling for someone before", she whispered, as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Sometimes I stay up all night thinking of you and I often skip meals…but so many times I am not even hungry!"

"You can't deprive yourself like this…"

"I love you so much I can just…live on my love alone…", she continued with an absent smile, while admiring the beige clouds in a whirlwind of red, burgundy and purple. She couldn't see straight. Her smile faltered. "…The feeling is liberating and enslaving all at once…So strong that it's painful sometimes", she confessed in a troubled whisper.

Sesshomaru felt his heart race more. "You shouldn't suffer…"

"The pain is nothing compared to the bliss…", she replied instantly. "Now…if only…I could be worthy of you…", she finished morosely as she closed her eyes in defeat.

"…Rin…what makes you question your worth as such? Nothing that has happened today is your fault…"

"…I…I'm so weak…", she whispered, a sweat dropping from her forehead. "I am a mortal…"

"That again?"

"Yes…", she whispered sadly, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "You see…you can make me sign as your lady, let me sleep in your bed and give me the finest gifts…" Her lips quivered, as she glanced back at him, with watery eyes. "But it changes nothing to the fact that I cannot fight by your side, I cannot bear your children…and I am so short-lived, the moment you will have to bury me must be so soon already for you…all of this saddens me …"

"…Rin…"

"I will keep getting in trouble all the time, your enemies will keep trying to use me to harm you, because let's just say it: I am your worst weakness…"

Sesshomaru's jaw tensed. "Don't speak of yourself as such…", he cut her off. "Today was my mistake. It won't happen again…"

"How do you know, Sesshomaru-sama? I may still be breathing, but there were a few close calls in the past…you can't deny that", she whispered. "…If you do want me to stay by your side…there might be a time when you may not be able to save me…" She paused. "In fact…this day _will_ come. We just don't know when…and there is nothing we can do about it."

He didn't answer, but she felt his grip on her tighten. She smiled with melancholy, thinking he was not ready to acknowledge all of this.

"You ask me which path I choose, yet I cannot make this choice alone. You have as much of a choice to make as I...", she whispered, while closing her eyes. "I will stay by your side Sesshomaru-sama, whatever the cost, but only if this is what you want as well…" Then her traits displayed bitterness. "I would… understand if you chose otherwise…maybe it would be best for you…"

"Can you really pretend you would be fine with me abandoning you? Rin…you were the one asking me never to let you go…"

"…"

"Rin…"

"I..I …" She was panting hard, her eyes briefly reopening.

"Rin you can't…"

She sighed and her eyes closed again, her eyelids too heavy to be reopened. Sesshomaru felt thunderstruck with horror: as his worst fears were threatening to bloom into macabre reality.

"Rin…you can't die…not now…", he whispered, trying to shake her a little.

"…"

"Rin..."

There was no answer; it was as if the blood in his veins had frozen. She couldn't leave like this… If she couldn't talk anymore, maybe he could keep talking, maybe a part of her could still hear…

"Rin…Do you remember when I told you I knew what it felt like to lose someone?"

"…"

"It was you I mourned. You are the only one who ever make me feel true grief…Rin…don't do this to me again!", he begged in a whisper raspy and mad, new level of despair invading his soul and mind.

"…"

"Rin!"

He felt his limbs starting to tremble. He couldn't remember the last lime he had shaken in fear…he probably was still a kid…

"Please …you know why you can't die, right?", he asked with nervoussness, he didn't even recognize his own voice, but he couldn't care less. "…Rin…you know how much I care…You are the only one who matters… You can't do this to me!"

"…"

"Rin…please…say something", he begged as he entered his mansion, finally, all his servants displaying either confusion or panic.

"…"

"Please", he kept saying, entering the infirmary.

"…"

"…please…", as he watched the healer pour a liquid inside her mouth. That must mean she wasn't dead yet, but she was so pale and cold…like the first and second time he had lost her.

"…Rin …", he whispered one last time…oblivious to the healer's endless questions…He took one of her hands in his and pressed her cold knuckles against his forehead, anguish winning the fight.

_Rin…Forgive me…I failed to protect you again…_

…

The Lady Mother entered the infirmary, dark because of the nightfall and rainclouds blocking the moonlight …lemony eyes narrowing as she saw Rin lying still on a bed…she was so pale and looking horrific under the candlelight, with bloody and torn clothes, bruises on her face…Was she even going to survive? She looked like a ghost already…

Her son was sitting next to her bed, watching her with impassiveness, yet Sasori could detect a flicker of something else in his eyes…probably sorrow…His eyes always let weak emotions come out…just like his father's…

She inspected him with cold determination…The time was ripe to reason him.

"Sesshomaru…"

His shoulders tensed.

"So…was it really worth it…leaving your duties like you did?", she asked quietly. "You aren't even sure she will survive..."

"…"

"Playtime is over. Our situation has changed… She is certainly not strong enough to live with demons at war. By keeping her here, you harm her…and harm yourself…"

"Stop…talking", he retorted with irritation.

"You know I am right. If she survives, the best you can do to ensure her safety is to send her away."

"…"

"Send her away for good… Send her back where she belongs."

…End of chapter…

My apologies for that cruel ending…I know it's a terrible place to end! I am a terribly selfish author, prioritizing style over the readers' mental health!

Next chapter will be…well…it will be important. Mostly with Sesshomaru's point of view. It might take a little longer to come out, since it will be so significant for the plot. However, I still accept payment in cheers, I bet it could help out! ;)

Jj: Meh sorry, no hot reunion this time! I actually think it would have been too easy if that were the case. Thanks for the review!

Karrat: There you go! Thanks for reading!

Guest: Indeed, and dead on time as usual! Thanks for reading!

Ana: Thank you! At the risk of repeating myself, I really like to develop on insight! Thanks for the review!


	18. Lost in the Void

A/N: O_O Well…whether you liked it or not, last chapter sure made you talk! Thank you all for the words of encouragement!

And I know it's been a while since last time, but you know…life and stuff…I worked overtime unexpectedly, got sick after…meh…

Replies to anonymous reviews

Tianarose: You're welcome :) Thanks for the review

Tiffany: Thank you for the encouragements!

Gingersnaps: Hahaha, you know I did shed a tear or two myself, while writing the last chapter, can you believe that, me crying at my own stuff?! X) Given the context, a warm recovery was not the way to go, I think. I'm glad you liked last chapter, even though it was not about pleasant events! Thank you for your loyal reviews :)

Ana: Really? Hahaha, it's nice :) Thank for letting me know!

sesshyrin4life : Your review (and few capital letters) made me laugh :D I always love spontanenous reactions from readers! Thanks for the review!

Jj : We'll see… ;) Thanks for the loyal reviews!

LadyxOfxChaos : I try, I try! Thanks for dropping by!

Guest : Yes well that's the point, not everything can be without unexpected developments ;) ! Thanks for dropping by!

Karrat : There!

Guest 2 : Thanks! :)

Fan cristalline : J'aime bien qu'on me parle dans la langue de Molière, mais de grâce, ne me vouvoie pas! C'est pour les vieux les vouvoiements! Bref, J'espère que ce nouveau chapitre sera à ta satisfaction ;) Merci pour le commentaire (mais pas de vous please hahaha).

Davian : No I don't want anyone to combust please! Hahaha, thanks for dropping by.

Now…

Enjoy!

Chapter 18 : Lost in the Void

_"Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair."_

_\- William Cowper_

* * *

Sesshomaru stood in front of the two oaken doors leading to the study. For some reason, a wave of hesitation made him stay there a few seconds more, trying to grasp the cause of the sudden feeling.

"There you are!", exclaimed a cheerful voice.

Rin stood next to him, as if she had just warped there, chasing away all his doubts. She wore regal purple garbs, and from the dignified way she was standing, he could guess she had bothered with okobos today.

"Shall we get in?", she inquired with her characteristic smile.

"…Yes", he replied simply.

Sesshomaru noticed none of the guards were present.

"Oh…don't worry…Take the one to the right, and I'll open the other", Rin responded, as if she had read his thoughts.

Not having any time to waste pondering about her mind-reading skills, he just nodded and pulled at it swiftly, noticing it was a bit harder than usual to open. He squinted as the white sunbeams inside blinded him unexpectedly. It mattered not, for he knew there was a meeting and he had to move on. So he just stepped in, but almost instantly froze as he saw a… single mirror standing there, surrounded by emptiness.

"What's this?", wondered Rin.

Sesshomaru blinked twice and inspected the object, wondering what kind of farce his vassals had done to him. He walked around it suspiciously, inspecting its wooden contours briefly, to finally stare his own reflection, looking the same as usual: silvery hair, white clothes, pale skin…the blinding light inside the room making him ghostly-looking. He inspected his own eyes: amber irises, pupils narrowed by lighting… cold looking. It was rare he took the time to contemplate how his stare could be blank and…bland… He glanced behind him and was a little surprised to see Rin there, gazing at him with quiet curiosity. He glanced back at the mirror and frowned in perplexity, as he noticed that Rin…wasn't there! She should be…just behind him, to his left…why couldn't he see her reflection?

He noticed another incongruity… his reflection missed a hand. Sesshomaru looked at himself, only to confirm what he already knew: the arm severed many years ago had grown back the moment he had found Bakusaiga. Obviously, his reflection had not found it yet, wearing only the rusty Tenseiga, and the long since destroyed Tokijin.

"Who are you?"

Sesshomaru gasped and looked back at his face's own reflection. He hadn't said a word…how come he had heard his own voice?

"Who are you?"

This time he saw it…the reflection had moved its lips…yet he knew he himself had not opened his mouth.

"I am Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands", he replied stolidly.

"Nonsense", his reflection retorted with familiar dryness.

Sesshomaru frowned. Was he conversing with himself? Was he losing his mind?

"Who…are…you…", asked the reflection again.

"I told you already", the inuyoukai spat back.

"You aren't him."

"Who am I, then?", retorted Sesshomaru with annoyance.

"Good question", retorted the reflection icily. "You certainly are not him."

"How can a mere reflection judge me? You should be the same as I. "

"We are not the same."

"Correct", retorted Sesshomaru. He raised an eyebrow. "You are the past."

"I am not", retorted the reflection, while putting a hand on Tokijin. "You are weak."

"Look who's talking: short of an arm and a decent sword…"

"See for yourself."

The reflection unsheathed his blade, got out of the mirror as if it was a mere door frame and tried to slice Sesshomaru in one swift movement. He dodged it and unsheathed Bakusaiga, bringing it in front of him in a defensive fashion as his own reflection kept trying to hit him mercilessly.

"Sesshomaru-sama!", exclaimed Rin in fright.

His reflection eyed Rin darkly and ran in her direction. The human girl took out her own dagger with a gasp of scare.

"Rin, run!", barked Sesshomaru, as he went after his double.

The reflection raised Tokijin for one lethal blow, but Rin's dagger blocked the demonic blade, even though the weapon was so frail and delicate, her arms shaking while she stood her ground. Sesshomaru thrust his sword towards his own reflection, forcing it to move away from the girl. Rin frowned hatefully at the foe and tried one single slice in its direction… successfully cutting the reflection's cheek, before she retreated away from the fight, watching form afar. The reflection smirked as it watched two drops of its own blood fall on the floor.

"Why are you carrying a human with you?", the replica inquired disdainfully, as he wiped his face. "Have you gone mad like my own father?"

"Do not speak of him as such", retorted Sesshomaru with cold wrath, wiping his own cheek with the back of his hand, noticing he was bleeding as well. When has this happened?

"Falling for a mortal…how pathetic…", spat back the reflection. "Die!"

Sesshomaru dodged a dreadful ray emitted by the blade of the past with one swift jump. He let the reflection run towards him, raising his blade. Sesshomaru remained motionless, and at the perfect moment, stabbed his own reflection with one flawless move.

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA!", yelled Rin in horror.

He winced as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach: he was bleeding exactly where he had stabbed his opponent. His brief distraction was enough to let his foe successfully stab him back, ignoring the new injury it had inflicted on itself as well. Both fell on the bloody floor, the replica still intent on killing Sesshomaru.

The dazed inuyoukai tried to push back the opponent. It was not the wisest idea to fight him, because he now realized he would kill himself in the process.

"Sesshomaru!"

"Rin, get away from here! Save yourself!", yelled Sesshomaru. She couldn't die with him.

However, he didn't take him long to notice she had disobeyed. He only had the time to see her run in his peripheral vision before he heard the clashing sound of glass being shattered. He glanced up while struggling with his foe, and saw Rin holding a sledgehammer, breaking the mirror in a million fragments. He glanced down and saw his reflection vanish instantly, while he noticed he himself was now so pale he was literally disappearing as well.

The Lord of the Western Lands woke up with a start as roaring thunder boomed through the room. He laid a hand on his chest, a little shocked at his own pants and frantic heartbeat. How could a simple nightmare affect him so? He glanced at the window and noticed it was nightfall, rain tapping against the window. He was sitting in a chair, a cold hand in his. And then everything came back to him.

He felt a deep wave of torments replace the fright of his own dream, as he glanced at Rin's unconscious form, sweat on her brow, skin white as snow, with a bruise on the side of her cheek…Her kidnapers might be the ones who had hit her… That thought made him wish the lizards were not truly dead, so he could kill them in the most painful of ways on his own.

He looked out the window again, as more lighting illuminated the room. He had been there for hours, and he knew he was not going to leave any time soon. The healer had told him Rin will probably need to stay in the infirmary an entire week…if she lived until then, that is. A mamushi snake had bitten her…a mere mortal creature, yet it had the potential to kill humans… How ironic that so many demons were after her, yet it was a simple snake that threatened to be her executioner…

He frowned in revolt, as he thought back to the unfortunate events…and his own foolishness. The more attached he became, the rasher he behaved. Why did he have to throw Rin's blade up in the air without asking questions? If she had kept her weapon, maybe she could have killed the snake or at least remove it from her before it left too much poison in her veins…Why did he have to place her under a tree, apparently inhabited by dangerous creatures? He should have kept her within his reach instead. And why exactly has he decided to leave her in the mansion in the first place, while he very well knew they might be attacked? In fact… it would have been much safer for her if she had accompanied him to the North…No…instead he decided to trust a half empty castle, Jaken and his own mother to protect her. Jaken had always been helpless when Rin's safety was concerned, and his mother…

"Sesshomaru…", called a familiar feminine voice.

Appearing as if she had known she plagued his thoughts... He didn't dignify her with an answer. She made a few steps forward, seemingly inspecting Rin with cold interest. He could tell she was not here for anything remotely close to compassion. She must have some scheme in mind again…

"So…was it really worth it…leaving your duties like you did?", she asked quietly. "You aren't even sure she will survive..."

Of course, the duty speech…couldn't that wait? Sesshomaru clenched his teeth.

"Playtime is over", she continued. "Our situation has changed… She is certainly not strong enough to live with demons at war. By keeping her here, you harm her…and harm yourself…"

How dare she talk like that when she herself, had done nothing to prevent Rin's abduction?

"Stop…talking", Sesshomaru retorted with irritation.

His mother frowned. "You know I am right. If she survives, the best you can do to ensure her safety is to send her away."

Where? In her carbonized hut, maybe? Or in Inu-Yasha's house why not? He repressed the urge to grind his teeth. He was not going to answer.

"Send her away for good… Send her back where she belongs", insisted his mother.

"Where does Rin belong, I wonder?", Sesshomaru couldn't help but retort with clear irritation.

The Lady Mother scoffed. "In her village, of course! With her kind, humans know best how to take care of each other. You can't possibly run after her each time a demon steal her away…"

"That won't happen again."

"It _will_ happen again, son. A young human maiden in a castle of demons at war…"

"We are not at war yet…"

"Quit your childish denials.", she spat back with cold irritation. "Just so you know, I managed the attacks on the Western Hill, while you were busy going after her. I supervised the defense on the castle as well…"

Sesshomaru glared at her and stood up, walking slowly in her direction, calm steps echoing through the wide room. "About that…I was wondering why you judged necessary to retrieve Rin's personal guards…"

Sasori blinked. "I needed all troops to be outside."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "All troops?"

"Yes."

"How many foes were there, approximately, during the worst moments of the attacks?"

"I would say close to fifty."

He raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Fifty? You dispatched all the remaining guards for…fifty foes?"

"What is it…you wanted me to risk damages to the castle?"

"What about surrounding the castle, instead of using unnecessary force?"

"Son, they needed to be wiped out at once!"

"I can't believe the generals advised you to dispatch all the troops", he insisted, getting closer in a predatory fashion.

Sasori frowned. "I am still the Lady of the West and it is my duty to protect the castle as I see fit when you aren't around…"

Sesshomaru smiled darkly. "As you see fit you say?", he wondered, stopping in his tracks, at less than at an arm length in distance. "Is this why you felt the need the leave Rin unguarded?"

Her lips became a thin line. "You dare accuse me of purposely putting her life in danger? ", she asked imperiously. She scoffed. "What is this? An interrogatory?"

He stared at her with piercing coldness. The Lady Mother's eyes widened…slightly…

"You err Sesshomaru…", Sasori responded with disquiet.

"…For your own sake…I hope so"

She displayed icy infuriation. "She makes you mad. She needs to go."

"That is not for you to decide."

"Look at yourself", she spat back with indignation. "You are miserable each times something happens to her. Why such…_futile_ _emotions_ for a…mere…human guest!"

"A councillor."

"A pawn to thwart your vassals' play!", the Lady Mother spat back, unnerved. "She was meant to leave at the end of summer."

"No. She was left with a choice…"

"A choice that doesn't belong to her. A mere mortal girl is not _worthy_ of such a right…"

At that phrase Sesshomaru felt boiling anger threatening to erupt. He tightened his jaw and advanced some more, his mother made a single step back.

"Don't you dare speak about Rin's worth again", he warned threateningly. "Not in front of me, especially not in front her…or anyone else."

"Or else what?", she inquired with defiant iciness.

"Trust me, you don't want to know", he retorted with perfect impassiveness.

The Lady Mother stared at him a moment, not sure what to take of his threat, scoffed and left, her white skirts and pelt flying gracefully behind her.

Sesshomaru frowned in contempt as he watched her leave. Her pressuring to make Rin leave was truly getting annoying. He hoped his warnings will keep her at bay for a while.

"Se…Sesshomaru.."

He felt his blood freeze.

"…Rin", he whispered.

He swiftly got back to her, while her eyes opened with difficulty. He caressed the side of her face tenderly, joyful and relieved to see her awake again...alive… She smiled weakly.

"My lord, please!", exclaimed the healer as she got back inside. "It is too early for her to wake up!"

She held a cup with more medication, and brought it to Rin's lips, who looked at the stranger inquisitively.

"It's okay…you are safe now", Sesshomaru whispered reassuringly. "You must rest."

He felt cold fingers cling to his wrist. He covered them with his other hand in an attempt at warming them up. Rin closed her eyes, leaving him again. He frowned.

"My lord…She cannot be woken up like this. She needs her rest…Please don't make any conversation in this room again", whispered the healer with worry.

He just nodded, the woman thanking him silently. He squeezed Rin's hand in his, thinking back of the choice she has left him…

He knew there was no time left for procrastination. He needed to think…not only about whether or not he wanted Rin to stay…but also about what she was to him, once and for all. During weeks he had simply postponed his own musings on this tricky matter...yet he dared ask her to choose her destiny, while she was fighting for her life. He felt remorse. It wasn't right. Rin couldn't make an informed choice if she didn't know what kind of life she could expect… He had to be honest with her, and with himself as well. And there was also the thorny issue of her safety inside his own castle that must be solved. He had a lot of answers to find before making up his mind…

…

Because this demon lord couldn't just watch over his human protégé all week long (waiting was an unpleasant occupation, and he had quite a lot of things to do), Sesshomaru was now trying to keep his mind busy at his office.

He usually never went there, because this little place sickened him. He tended to use this room as mere storage, filling it with important documents. However, he had made space in this cramped damnation of a room and had closed the door, determined to use it in the short term …he knew it was much more private than the study…and he needed a bit of seclusion at the moment.

After long minutes (or an hour, or two…) of musings as he looked out of the window, he resigned himself to read a first manuscript…However, the annoyance clear in his amber eyes demonstrated how miserably he failed. In fact, he couldn't help but reread the same paragraph over and over again, as if he had never read it in the first place. How pathetic he felt.

With his jaw tightened and shoulders higher than his usual fashion…anybody could tell he was tense. Rin had not woken up since the day before. He always was agitated when Rin was unwell. Rin was meant to be lively and cheerful, not weak and in pain in a bed. He sincerely hoped the healer was wrong about the duration of her recovery. She had been resting for less than a day and he was already on edge. The truth was, he had to leave her side, because the sight of her unconscious form was already unbearable.

He closed his eyes a moment, trying to focus, and attempted to read the damned paragraph one more time…and it felt like the first time…all over again. What was it all about again? He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was obviously unable to concentrate on the tasks he should attend to.

He almost dropped his quill when someone knocked and opened the door rapidly.

"Tatsumaki", he stated, instantly retrieving his cold demeanour.

She straightened her position. "My lord…you called me?"

He nodded. "Have a seat."

The wind demoness subtly gulped and sat down. She had noticed how stiff he seemed, she started to fear for her life.

Her uneasiness didn't go unnoticed; Sesshomaru assumed she must have heard of Buro's fate…Buro, the imbecile of a guard who had slept while the lizards got in, very well knew dozing off on the job couldn't go without consequences. He had been warned numerous times. He shall now sleep in the underworld…May his death serves as an example…Sesshomaru knew he had been too soft lately.

"…My lord, if it is about the savages' intrusion and attacks on the castle, I can explain!", Tatsumaki started defensively. "We couldn't do a thing! They flew past us so quickly …and the wind was so violent. I bet the blue pain must have casted a hurricane or something!"

"You imply Lady Amane controls the weather? What do you think she is…a goddess maybe?", retorted Sesshomaru wryly.

"I don't know! It doesn't seem impossible…her late father did wield some arcane magic", the wind demoness retorted with uncertainty.

His eyes narrowed. He had never thought seriously about Amane's magical skills… "It was not in my intention to blame you for the invasion", he replied nonchalantly. "Anything to report about the frontiers?"

Tatsumaki looked surprised. "No my lord…It is very quiet since Lady Sasori ordered it closed. We killed all the culprits who tried to get back to their lands. Serves them right! We got substantive backup from your own troops also. So there is nothing new to say. "

"Hmph…"

"Actually…it's so boring I might be forced to take care of your ward's girly tasks…"

He arched an eyebrow.

"Matching the Katashi drunkard", explained Tatsumaki with scorn.

"This can wait until she wakes up…"

"Are we even sure she'll wake up?"

Sesshomaru felt his hand tighten on his quill, eyes darkening. "She will…"

The demoness didn't comment further. She did value her life.

"…If…there is nothing else…I guess I should go…", she suggested, standing up, ready for a swift leave.

"Wait…", called Sesshomaru, with a pensive frown. "You did see Rin, while I was gone…"

"Yeah…"

"How was she?"

Tatsumaki shrugged. "…As usual…I guess…"

Sesshomaru frowned. "Did she sound…troubled? No…struggles I should be aware of?"

"You know I'm not buddy-buddy with your human ward. I wouldn't know". Then she smirked. "Well…I did notice the face she made, when the Lady Mother announced a new exhibition of prospective consorts…"

Sesshomaru felt his quill smother in agony between his fingers. "What did you say?"

Tatsumaki's eyes widened. "Holy gods…you didn't know?!"

He dropped his quill in the inkpot, closed his eyes and remained still for a moment, trying hard to bury the fury. It was so…difficult.

…_I will deal with this matter later…_ he thought while repressing the urge to kill something. "Tell me what you know about Rin…"

"Well, she was pissed when she heard the news. She stayed away from any other discussion about that after…"

"…What else?"

"I am afraid that's all I know…", replied the demoness indifferently. "Why do you ask? Does she have issues?"

"…"

"With the council maybe?"

Sesshomaru reopened his eyes. "Why should I think that?"

The demoness shrugged in nonchalance. "Well, you know…She was just a human peasant until recently. It wouldn't be surprising working with demon nobles is not her cup of tea…If so…Maybe you should just remove her from the council and give the place to someone else who really wants it…"

"You think Rin hates being an advisor?"

"I-I've no idea, my lord…What I know though…is that many people at court dream to counsel you: people with experience who know how these things work… If you want someone else, just snap your fingers, and dozens of loyal subjects will beg you to give them a chance…", she explained with a smirk.

"Hmph…duly noted", he retorted dryly. "You are dismissed…"

…

Sesshomaru witnessed the day pass by as he looked out of the window again, from the seat next to Rin's bed …heavy clouds announcing many days of rain. His own eyelids were heavy as well…but they couldn't close…He was exhausted and restless all at once…

He had never been prone to anxiety. Yet he started to feel the effects of the unusual tumult in his mind. He was drained, yet his heart kept beating at an abnormal pace, febrile as if he were expecting the blow of a powerful foe at any moment…yet the foe was invisible and intangible, impossible to see or grasp. The foe was a mixture of unpleasant emotions: impatience and agitation plaguing his entrails, along with other torturing feels… spreading like a sickness in his body. He couldn't do anything about it and it was highly infuriating. But quite truthfully, his own state was the least of his worry...

He glanced down at the source of his torments and caressed her cheek, with unconcealed dejection on his features. He had hoped Rin would wake up from time to time …but she hadn't since the first day, after the dispute with this mother…It was as if she was just falling deeper and deeper into slumber. Each time he showed up, her eyes were tightly closed, with her pale face and dark hair scattered on the white pillow, lying on her back…Her position so still she only lacked the flowers in her cold hands to be in a perfect position for her own funerals. He tightened his fist at the thought. He couldn't give in to torments like that. She will recover. The healer had said it would take a week and now it was only the third day…

At least, he hadn't heard of his mother lately… In fact, he was surprised by her unusual quietness; maybe he should really take seriously his suspicions about her. His questions were only meant to be a test, or even a simple way to taunt her for her own negligence. He didn't seriously think his mother had purposely harmed Rin's safety…but he wasn't sure what to think anymore. He certainly was aware of what she was capable of when she has something in mind…

He heard someone open the door and walk slowly towards the bed, but he didn't bother glancing up. The kitsune girl it was.

"My lord", Nozomi whispered with a bow. She looked with sadness at Rin's unconscious form. "How is she?"

"…Same as usual."

"She will be fine, right?"

He could have left this question unanswered, but for some senseless reason, he felt compelled to speak. "Yes. She has seen worse days…Come", he ordered as he stood up, determined not to disrupt the sleeping human.

They got out of the infirmary and walked in silence until they reached his office. Nozomi frowned as she got in, noticing nascent dark circles under the lord's eyes. It was very unusual for him to display fatigue.

"How is the South?", Sesshomaru inquired as he sat down.

"Well, my lord…It is very calm since the assault, as if the wildlings want to be forgotten for a while. I think it is quiet on human territories as well."

"Good…", he replied with a frown.

Then he glanced at the kitsune with curiosity, not wanting to waste any more time with small talk.

"How did Rin react, when she heard of this new farce regarding prospective consorts?"

Nozomi blinked, a bit taken aback by the sudden change of subject. "Hum…not well. Her face whitened at the some point. I would say she even looked angry with Lady Sasori. I left the room quickly because I feared they would get into a fight again…"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. He thought that Rin…standing up to his mother on her own was unlikely.

"So…did they have an argument?"

"I don't think so…but who knows…their relation has been strained recently", the kitsune replied shyly.

"…Strained you say?"

The fox demon looked uneasy. "…You must have seen it, right? It was already like that before you left…"

He didn't answer. He hadn't noticed anything wrong about Rin before his departure, except maybe for the strange choice of knocking to his back door. He kept staring, waiting for more information.

The kitsune looked anxious. "Am I allowed to speak freely? You will not repeat to anyone?"

"I won't, if I judge this could compromise your safety."

Nozomi looked tense. "Well…I know you both had a nasty fight with the Lady Mother… it seems to me as if Sasori-sama is often bickering with your ward since then."

"What kind of bickering?", he inquired darkly.

"Well…comments about her looks, about not allowing her outside…"

He frowned in silence. This last part was his fault. He had been worried because of flying demons seen close to the castle…yet simple lizards successfully got inside and kidnapped her… a pathetic judgement he had…

"…If you want my truthful opinion, I think Lady Sasori doesn't stand that she could be replaced by…" Then the kitsune hesitated and blushed, as her suzerain darted a sideways glance. "Well you know…she must be worried about Rin's growing importance…"

"Hmph…"

"I think Rin got tired of it at some point. Just before her abduction, she started to answer back to your mother …"

Sesshomaru displayed curiosity. "How?"

"Well you know…girly things: your mother saying Rin shouldn't wear white because it's a noble colour, and Rin retorting that she should probably try the purple of royalty.

Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk. Nozomi frowned. "I know it must sound silly to you…But these catfights can get tiring for a woman. Rin always had to be on the defensive. I really wouldn't swap place with her for anything in the world right now…"

Sesshomaru regained his cold demeanour. He supposed the kitsune must speak the truth. It sure took a while for Rin to be at ease at court, he didn't doubt it would be easy for her to be uncomfortable again…

"…Have you noticed other abnormal things about her?", he inquired.

Nozomi displayed uneasiness. "…Well…I did start to hear malicious gossips about Rin, just after you've left for Kun'Ketsu…I think there are people jealous of her place on the council and of all the attention you give her. They're starting to realize that she might be here for a while…"

"So you say there is growing hostility towards Rin?"

"Not from everyone …most lesser guards and servants couldn't care less about her presence, but some nobles and generals of higher birth do not understand all the privileges she's been given recently…Some think Rin is on the council just because of her…pretty face…"

He remained silent a moment. "…Do you know if Rin was aware of that?"

"I think she may have noticed something: she didn't look as happy as she used to be. She tried to behave normally though. She didn't want people to know it was affecting her…"

Sesshomaru frowned. " I see…"

"My lord…if…if I may be so bold um…"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You think someone from the court might have something to do with her abduction? Is it why you ask all these questions?", Nozomi asked worriedly.

Sesshomaru remained emotionless.

"I think it could be anybody", continued the kitsune. "But at least…they failed, right? Rin will recover…"

"Yes…"

"Poor Rin could be aimed again…", the kitsune commented with a pout. "Maybe we could take better care of her, right?"

"What do you mean?"

The fox-girl grinned. "…She's a feisty fighter for a human. I think she would love it if I taught her a few more tricks to defend herself…"

Sesshomaru frowned darkly and glanced at the cloudy scenery outside. "So you think I cannot insure Rin's safety?"

Nozomi tensed. "It's not what I said…I mean… What is the worst that could happen from a few lessons? At best, she will use the tips in a critical moment. At worst, it will be completely useless, but it'll give her another way to pass the time. It's a win-win situation."

"So you think she is bored?"

"I'm sure she misses the days she could go hunting! I mean…I know I'm a demon, but If I was told I am not to hunt anymore even though I did so my entire life…I would be angry!" Nozomi frowned. "In fact. I don't think I hunt enough. I never have the time these days!"

Sesshomaru frowned pensively. He had never thought that Rin could enjoy fighting. He thought that she had just wanted to impress him, when she killed the elk demon a year ago. But now that he thought about it, she certainly didn't look frightened or disgusted during her combat with the beast. Yes…maybe she enjoyed it. How come he had never thought of that?

Rin had always been adventurous and brave, but often completely unaware of the danger…Yet if she hadn't been a little impulsive, they would never have met in the first place...It was a part of who she was…

"Um…my lord?", inquired the kitsune.

He left his musings and just nodded.

"…I have no question left, you are dismissed."

…

Sesshomaru looked out of the window of his damned office –again – with his chin resting on his hand…It was pouring, and he couldn't help but stare at raindrops running down the glass, pristine beads…the sky's sorrowful tears…

How long has it been now…five days? The healer did mention that Rin had woken up briefly to feed herself, which is a good sign. Yet she had never woken up during his visits. He was so displeased that he hadn't seen her awake …he had even tried to work from the infirmary, sitting on the chair next to her bed, which allowed him to stay there for hours (27 hours straight to be more precise, until Jaken reminded him they had to go through a few things in regards to security issues)… in the end, he had never caught her waking up. She had stirred a few times…barely…

It was now that she was comatose that he noticed how empty he felt, without her for so long…He was lost in a dark void.

His jaw tightened as a wave of sorrow twisted his insides. He missed her…all of her. He missed her smile. Missed her laugh. Missed her jokes and light-heartedness. Missed her energy and boldness. He missed her golden heart and unconditional kindness. He missed her heartbeat against his chest, her soft lips on his, her sweet sighs of delight when he touched her, he missed her legs wrapped around his waist, her soft touches…he even missed her tears: he missed brushing them away. He missed comforting her. Protecting her… He missed the warm feeling each time she was close…

He missed her so much. She couldn't be like that…limp and lifeless in a bed. It wasn't her.

Sesshomaru sighed. He was spellbound, addicted: both her appeals and flaws soothed him, lured him… The light sure was alluring to the destitute who had never seen it before. It was as if he had never glanced at it before this summer. She was his light…yes…His warmth…his…

His mind drifted as another drop slid down the window, the sky shedding the tears he couldn't on his own…

Powerful demons were not meant to feel futile emotions, they weaken the strong and crush the feeble: they trigger cowardice and disrespect. Emotions are harmful impulses meant to be supressed, flaws fuelling rashness. That is what he was taught. What he believed in.

He smirked at the drops…He knew now that all these things were falsehoods; it had taken him a while to understand. Focus and determination were relevant to achieve progress, but one cannot reach full potential, while deprived of feels and passion…

Most of his life he did not feel anything. Did not see the relevance to. Therefore, he had buried everything remotely emotional for so long that there was many sentiments he had forgotten about or had never learned to express. But his heart still bled of nameless pains…His amber eyes glanced up at the dark crying sky. At least, he knew the burning feel in his chest could only caused by his sorrowful longing for Rin.

Anyone with a sane heart and soul would probably cry, after reaching such a high level of despair, but he wasn't a normal being, his own soul broken long ago in an attempt to reach perfection. Yet he hadn't reached perfection at all. He felt crippled inside, barely grasping the existence of powerful feels, like a deaf man who had just heard a few musical notes, but not the entire song.

Rin was right to say that her choice of fate was not only about her needs and desires. Today, he realized he needed her …more than he never would have imagined. She was the only one in this world who made him feel something. The only one who could guide him through these feelings…this is what she has done since she has entered his life. This is what she had done all along. She was his compass…stopping him to go round in circles. How could he let her go, now that he had had stopped wandering endlessly, imprisoned in eternal questionings and spite? If Rin died today, he would forever be lost again, a dead soul in an immortal body, an empty shell of a being. Power and conquests would feel so hollow, if she wasn't there, next to him…

Still…maybe Rin deserved something else than his disabled soul. The more he thought of her and his own actions in her regards, and the more unconfident he felt about his abilities to take care of her. The talk with the kitsune girl had deeply troubled him, because it made him realize he hadn't been there for her. She had a hard time in his own court, and he had been too blind to see, busy with his own things, only bothering to glance up when she came to him. She deserved more than a passive and nonchalant companion.

Since the beginning of their involvement, he had been selfish and had tried to bend her to his own preferences, and now he felt horrible. She was giving away so much for him, ready to give up a quiet life with humans, putting herself at risk in a world she must feel so lonely in…She had even given him her heart…Why was she giving so much? Why did she love him so much, while he had been unable to give her more than material possessions, a not so safe roof…and many foes? Everything he had inside of him, of stone and ice, was unfit for her warm heart.

The drops were darker and darker on the glass. Night was falling, and he had to at least pretend to listen to the ear-splitting voice of his servant, talking of demons fussing about Kun'Ketsu, the highway and whatnot…he had completely forgotten about his lackey for the past half hour or so…

His eyes left the window half heartedly to look back at Jaken with boredom. His servant had stopped talking, after a irritating "my lord, are you listening?" or something of the sort.

What Sesshomaru didn't know, was that Jaken had noticed how glassy his amber eyes were as he glanced back at the little servant, but the toad knew better than to inquire about his lord's state. He very well knew this could only be caused by Rin's condition and for his dear life, he dared not bring it up.

"…Ahem…So…the baron Hatsuno will report to us as soon as he can, but he already confirmed many neighbouring villages do not appreciate the idea of a human highway very much…They will need to be monitored closely…", he squawked.

"And managed…if they riot", added Sesshomaru with suspicion. "Hatsuno has the resources for that…and he could compensate his people …"

"I don't think Hatsuno deemed this necessary, my lord…"

"He should get rid of all threats as soon as possible. I haven't negotiated a costly union with Kun'Ketsu to have greedy villagers go on a rampage on my lands", Sesshomaru retorted, while raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Yes yes of course, my lord…I will pressure him accordingly in the next letter…"

Sesshomaru nodded. Jaken was the one talking more directly to the baron these days. Not that they were in conflict, but he deeply hated moaners and Hatsuno was one. He just got a fleet and he kept complaining about the coexistence of demons and humans, as if he shouldn't the one managing his fief, even though he certainly enjoys important surplus of resources at the moment, for all the guards he won't need to secure the coast anymore…

"Also…my lord". Jaken cleared is throat. "About the spies we've intercepted…"

"Yes?"

"They should be delivered in three days at most …but primary reports talk of their motives already" Jaken took a pause, already dreading violent reprimand. "…They actually wanted to find out if the West has become a nation of…mixed bloods."

Sesshomaru frowned, but didn't comment. "How many spies are there?"

"Two…caught in the northwest. It seems the Lady Mother was right to close the borders in expectation to catch them…"

"Hmph."

Spies for the Central Lands…Which meant other spiteful talks about hanyous and humans that Sesshomaru would rather not hear about…

Many tales the Lord of the West heard about these days concerned ruckus regarding purity of blood, tolerance towards humans… or not…He found that infuriating. Humans are not belligerent. They never are, they mostly just want to live their short lives in peace. They really aren't the biggest threat to the prosperity of the West at the moment…He really started to understand his father's sympathy for mortals. They were actually much easier to manage than his own people…so spoiled and greedy…

He started to suspect that some youkais have radicalized their positions on issues regarding blood purity and humans, as of late. Yet what he heard from his vassals and messengers was full of contradictions. Some signing praise about Rin, because of the song…others hearing of a new taste for human flesh in certain areas…He wondered if the…issues regarding humans had the potential to create conflicts between his people. Debates regarding mortals in demon territory were the cause of conflicts through history, he was aware of that…

He massaged his forehead briefly, feeling a nascent headache. He had to stop relying on his subjects for these facts. He will have to investigate on his own as soon as possible.

…and there was other facts he still needed to enlighten as well…How frustrating it was not to have any serious leads about any traitor who could have helped the lizards abduct Rin.

"Jaken", interrupted Sesshomaru who had stopped listening to the screeching for a while.

The toad startled. "Yes, my lord…"

"You investigated the causes of Rin's abduction…with my mother."

"Y-yes…"

"You said the lizards got in the study…"

"Exactly my lord... I doubt it could have happened any other way…I told the Lady Mother as soon as I found out."

"…What was her reaction?"

The toad blinked his protruding eyes. "I beg your pardon, my lord?"

"My mother…did she show surprise, once you've shared your findings with her?", Sesshomaru specified with cold interest.

"Ahhh…well it is hard to say my lord, she is not exactly the most expressive character…She only mentioned that she wanted to gather as much details as possible about Rin's abduction before you got back. "

The inuyoukai raised an eyebrow. "Gather information you say?"

"Ahem…yes"

"She didn't look bothered by the intrusion?"

"Hum…no…not particularly…just a little curious about the guard sleeping on duty."

"Hmph…"

"The guards though…Buro has sworn he would have woken up if someone had gotten inside the study. He insisted a door must have been opened by someone elsewhere…but his ridiculous story didn't make any sense…"

"Yes…I have heard his version already", retorted Sesshomaru, while massaging his temples. "I have enough for one night. You are dismissed."

"But we had to talk about…"

"Can these things wait?"

"W-well yes I suppose my lord…"

"Then it shall…"

Later than night, when he took Rin's hand in his…he couldn't help but brood over awful truths…

He wasn't even sure if demons' concerns over humans were diminishing or increasing…What place exactly could be provide to her in such an uncertain world, without compromising her safety further? Not only that, but there was her general well-being inside his own castle he couldn't even guarantee…Was it sane to keep her in here, when he couldn't even find the truth about her abduction?

So many cons, and one powerful…yet fragile pro: her own will to stay no matter what…that she had expressed…while being severely poisoned…

The matter wasn't even about his own will, even if Rin had wanted that, it was about all the rest…All the challenges in regards to her survival and happiness, and his obvious inability to meet her needs…

He sighed…a terrible dilemma he was in…yet he knew already what he should do…what he _must_ do…and the simple prospect of it made him feel as if his heart was cooling down already, but it kept beating against the icy walls, battling against the odds.

…

It was the sixth day now. Sesshomaru was sitting in his usual spot, next to Rin, examining her with great interest. He could feel that she was getting better: her face still pale, but not as much as before. His hand brushed her fingers: still cool, but not cold anymore. Rin had stirred more than usual in his presence also.

He felt uncontrollable thrills at the prospect of filling the void she had left since she had fallen unconscious, yet despair and torments were still stronger than everything else. He frowned, glanced one last time at her, and walked away from the infirmary, strolling through the corridors at a swift pace. He had yet to make up his mind and there was not much time to do so. He knew his answer was the first thing she will want to hear after her awakening. It was, after all, where they had left their conversation before she fainted…

That day, he didn't wear his usual white attire. He had chosen…some dark green garbs, that he didn't like very much, had tied his hair and even discarded his pelt. He felt sober looking and…nude…sort of…but he had chosen this bland look for one simple reason. He didn't want to attract the attention of his subjects. Because many of the simple servants were not inuyoukais and didn't have any particular sense of smell, simply changing his appearance allowed him to hear things he wouldn't hear otherwise. Of course, he couldn't fool the guards, trained to sense powerful auras, but he could trick the others anyway, and this is exactly what he wanted to do.

He nonchalantly walked in the vast inner courts, seemingly towards the pond in search for new mail, but really, his purpose was to snoop on his subjects.

He searched through the herons, found new relevant reports, and a new letter for Rin, with little hearts on it. It was obviously from Inu-Yasha's woman.

Then familiar chirping distracted him. He glanced up and noticed Rin's little bird flying for a brief moment over his head before landing on a statue, and groomed its feathers. Sesshomaru frowned, now very aware that frail creature wasn't a mere mortal bird. There was something about it…he could feel it…

Then he saw a maid get out with a broom, apparently trying to chase the frail thing away.

"Shoo shoo! Get away you…"

"What is it?", inquired a scribe nearby.

"This little flying rat won't stop putting its filthy paws on the sacred statue!"

"That's the human ward's little bird", commented the scribe.

"Of course, it won't stop bothering us, since she had taken this thing into her care."

Sesshomaru frowned. All this fuss for a little bird? Who cares if that thing wanted to land on a big piece of carved stone? Some subjects were truly pointlessly pious…He kept listening.

"Do you think this thing will stay, even if the girl do not survive?", wondered the scribe with curiosity.

"Actually, I think she's getting better…", commented the maid. "I just hope she won't bring other mortal animals around…"

"Don't count on that. I bet as long as she stays, you'll have random bothers of the snort", the scribe commented with a snort. "But there is a rumour spreading that the lord might send her away if she lives…"

"Send her away?!", exclaimed the maid. "No way!"

"Yes… with the prospective consorts exhibition coming and her continual troublemaking, maybe Lord Sesshomaru has grown tired of her…"

"But isn't she on the council?"

"Not anymore, with master Tenmaru back. I think the quickest she goes, the better it is…before she corrupts all the vassals. With the foxes and Sesshomaru liking mortals so much, who knows what could come next? Human villages on the Western Lands, maybe?"

Afterwards Sesshomaru stopped listening, repulsed with what he heard. He swore to make that scribe pay for her pointless backbiting.

Later that day, he heard other displeasing talks inside his castle, such as bets regarding the prospective consorts, some people speculating about his level of interest for these women, or the speed at which he would send all of them away …He couldn't care less about what they said of him, what he hated to hear about were the speculation over Rin's reactions…one even betting that she could show herself among the prospective consorts, something to which the group had burst out in laughter.

Sesshomaru took note of their face for proper reprimands later, deeply angered he was. He couldn't believe eavesdropping would disturb him so. He had stopped listening to what people said so long ago… that he had forgotten why he had stopped hearing in the first place.

He deeply hated that many of the things he had heard seemed to confirm that no one took Rin seriously. The lower servants merely tolerated her, while, as Nozomi had revealed, the higher class simply despised her.

Rin deserved their respect. Rin's contribution had allowed more safety to the eastern frontiers, and an important alliance…it got them a fleet! But apparently, the court only bothered with superficial matters: seeing only her humanity, rather than her accomplishments.

A few weeks ago, the first time that the idea of taking Rin as his consort had crossed his mind, he had instantly been convinced it would be madness and create havoc…and he heard nothing as of late who infirmed his initial thoughts on the matter…opinions in her regards varying greatly. This week only, he had heard her being called guest, ward, and Nozomi had even implied she might be the future Lady of the West. The confusion was laughable, yet full of truth. Keeping her status unclear had exposed her to many risks and prevented her to be respected as much as she deserved.

He was so selfish…desiring to keep her close, but too coward to give her the title she deserves. He didn't deserve her…

Yet…as his brain screamed to step away from it all, and send her away before he does more damage to her fragile heart…his own kept beating fast, and his legs walked towards the study, and his arms grabbed some books while his eyes were searching for madness…

…

Rin opened her eyes, her vision all blurry at first, and clearing up after a while…She got out of bed swiftly, but sat back on it almost instantly, the prolonged stillness had weakened her limbs... She looked around her. She didn't recognize her surroundings, but as she noticed the shape of the windows, colour of the floor and tallness of the ceilings, could only conclude she was inside the mansion. She noticed scattered books and parchments on a bedside table …and more empty beds around her. And then she remembered…

The lizards. The cell. The bird. The snakes.

Sesshomaru. Happiness. Hurt. His anger. Her sadness. The bite. His questions…and her answer…And then it was blurry or black…but her eyes grew wide, as the phantom of a memory lingered, poisonous and terrifying. The figures were hazy, but the words sharp clear in her mind: Sesshomaru and his mother talking.

"_If she survives, the best you can do to ensure her safety is to send her away…Send her away for good… Send her back where she belongs"_

"_She was left with a choice…"_

"_A choice that doesn't belong to her. A mortal girl is not worthy of such a right…"_

Afterwards, she briefly remembered him caressing her face, soft whispers, and then…nothing else…She shuddered, panic assaulting her mind and limbs, as she thought back of the Lady Mother's words. Send her away? Were they seriously thinking about sending her away? Because she has gotten in trouble? And what did Sesshomaru say to his mother…What did she miss?

Rin was barely awake, yet her heartbeat was already beating frenetically at these thoughts…

Of course…even though Sesshomaru didn't blame her for what happened…maybe that…he agreed that she was a weakness that foes will take advantage of. Maybe he decided that it wasn't in his best interests to keep her in his castle. Rin felt her limbs quiver at the thought. The incidents with the snakes felt like a long nightmare in her darkened mind, yet the consequences of it were real, threatening viciously her fate. This couldn't happen. He couldn't send her away!

She stood up, barely aware of her own dizziness and ignored the healer's warnings as she got out…determined to seek the truth. There was no way her heart would tolerate not knowing a minute more…

…

Rin strolled through the corridors; scowl on her feature, her face white, and not because of powder. She had barely found the strength to make herself presentable. She had chosen the beautiful white and red furisode she had worn the day of the wedding, knowing he would like to see her in it. She may have been feverish and weak the last time they had been together, but she wasn't going to look feeble this time. She wasn't even sure with the sick state of mind she had back then that she would have minded if he had sent her away…but now…fully awake and alive, she was filled with dread and worry. She didn't want this to happen. Not at all. She just hoped it was not too late to repair the broken pieces she may have left.

She noticed many people glancing at her weirdly as she walked towards the study, as if they expected her to be dead or something…or maybe sent away? She panicked at the thought, her pace now resembling a run.

She arrived in front of the door and didn't even care knocking before opening it.

He was there, as expected, his chin resting on his hand as he stared at the page of a book with a troubled expression. Rin instantly noticed that he didn't look well at all. He looked haggard and stressed, as if he hadn't slept in a long while. His hair was tied, but a bit unkempt…and dark green was actually not the best colour for his pale complexion, he almost looked sick. It was as if he was completely unaware of his own appearance...or that he couldn't care less. He was so focused that he didn't even notice her getting in.

Rin made a few uncertain steps forward…

At first, she thought that he had been reading, but from the way his eyes were completely still on the page, he could only be deep in thoughts. She couldn't wait any longer. She cleared her throat: he startled in response. He glanced up and his eyes widened slightly.

"…Rin…", he whispered, barely suppressing his bafflement, as he stood up. "You… are awake…"

"Yes", she whispered back nervously, as she walked towards him, meeting him half way from the table to hug him softly. His slid an arm around her in response and kissed her forehead, but she thought he was a bit aloof as he broke the embrace. Something was bothering him. She could feel it. And she didn't like this at all.

"How long have you been awake? You…", Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the window a moment before glancing back. "You weren't supposed to leave the infirmary yet…"

"W-well I think I am fine now", she replied worriedly. She bit her lip before speaking up. "I think we need to…talk?"

He looked at her without saying anything, indecipherable. Rin had no idea how unprepared he was for this conversation.

"Of course…", he answered with a clipped tone as he went back to his seat.

She sat down in front of him, but she didn't even know what to say. Anyway, he very well knew what she wanted to know…

He looked at her straight in the eyes for a while. He didn't know where to start and how to end…He just knew he was in no right to postpone anymore. This makes or breaks.

He gulped. Rin's blood froze at the sight.

"…I must apologize…for everything", he started, while looking morosely at the dusky sky out of the window.

"Wh-what for?"

"None of this would have happened if you would have been in safety in the first place…"

"It's not your fault, Sesshomaru-sama. You have nothing to blame yourself for…"

He glanced back at her with silent disagreement.

"As you must be aware…it was one of the reason why I left you in a human village in the first place", he replied, while looking at her intently with his tired eyes. "A demon territory is not the safest place for you to be…"

She stopped breathing, her hazel eyes widening in dread. No…this couldn't happen…

He looked away. "I thought it was safer today, with my empire rebuilt, but I suppose I was wrong…", he thought out loud.

She felt her eyes watering; she shook her head in denial. "Please don't say that…", she begged in a whisper.

"What happened to you obviously demonstrate I can't shield you against every threat, there are too many of them…varied and vicious…", he answered with wisps of bitterness. He smirked. "Can you believe that I, of all people, would be unable to keep one woman safe?"

She felt a tear roll down, her hopes crumbling.

He took a deep breath. "It was a mistake to force you to choose now…"

"No it wasn't!", she protested with fright.

"You were injured and poisoned…the moment was wrong."

"Then I repeat it today, I want to stay!", Rin retorted fiercely, even though her voice was trembling.

"I informed myself, while you recovered from your injury…", he responded in a low voice, glancing back at the window. "I know you were tense and at edge with my mother and various nobles…who think your place belongs elsewhere…"

She felt a second tear fall, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight. "Who cares about the others? You told me yourself not to care…"

He gave her a sideways glance, pondering silently before speaking up. "Do you seriously think the best option for you is to stay?"

"Why not?", she asked a bit more loudly that she had intended.

"This life you would have with me wouldn't be cloudless happiness. You are a lone human in a demon territory. Whatever I do, there will always be adversaries who remain. People who will harbour ill will in your regards, who will try to bring you down. People who will constantly try to make you fail at what you do…"

Rin shook her head. "I-I don't care. My answer stays the same."

He examined her wordlessly for another long moment. "Your life sure looked much more peaceful in your village …"

"I don't care about peacefulness!", she spat back with sudden ire, Sesshomaru a bit taken aback by her outburst. "I am the only one who can speak for myself! You asked me what I want. Well, what I want is to be with you." Then her traits saddened. "The only thing who would make me leave is if you don't want me here with you… I wouldn't bear staying against your will…"

His features softened a little. He crossed his arms uneasily. Her heartbeat quickened, it was rare for him to show discomfort. She knew then that the worst was yet to come.

"Even if you were to stay. You must be aware that our current involvement is…not right…It can't go on…", he replied softly.

Her heart cracked, ready to break in a million pieces.

"Why?", she asked dolefully.

"Your position has become… hazardous…I don't want your life to be endangered again…", he merely voiced with a clipped tone.

Her heart broke. She felt dizzy and weak, as if she was going to faint, fresh tears forming in her eyes. He must think that she was blinded by love, so he wanted to break it to make her leave…

"So…that's it? This is the end?", she muttered, feeling hot tears prickle her eyelids and cold cheeks.

He looked back at her, and couldn't help but try to reach her face to wipe her tears, but she slapped his hand away.

"Answer me!", she snapped, all distraught and sad.

He opened his mouth hesitantly and looked down. "Rin, this involvement was disrespectful to you … The nature of it was wrong from the beginning…"

"What about what you said in Kun'Ketsu? "

"It is the truth…"

"Then how can you do this, if you care so much?!", she answered back, full of melancholy and spite. "You think I am not strong enough to stay, is that it?"

He looked back at her, frowning, clearly upset. This was not going well…

"It's…it's not that…", he muttered and hesitated. "This is not what I meant…"

"Then what are you trying to say?", she murmured, looking down bleakly. "Please…don't make me wait any longer if you don't want me here…Don't try to find excuses if you think my presence is a problem. Just…tell me to leave…"

Rin heard him stand up to come sit next to her, with a crestfallen expression she couldn't see as she stared at her knees, blurred by the water in her eyes. Then she felt his warm hand take hers to place it on his own chest, while he looked in front of him, looking wistful…

"Can you feel it?", he wondered out loud.

Her breath caught in her throat in confusion. "Wh-what? Your heart?"

He nodded.

"…I do…Why do you ask?", she prompted softly, wiping a tear.

"Rin… While you were recovering I…I-I was so…" He paused, cursing mentally at his pathetic hesitations. "I never…" He looked away, taking a moment to ponder about what he was going to say, ill at ease. "This…can't happen again…You…" He closed his eyes and sighed, looking defeated. "Day and night, you monopolized my every thoughts…How…can you obsess me so?"

She felt her eyes watering again at the unspoken truth, butterfly flapping their wings with haste in her belly. "This…My lord…" She looked at his face, as she moved her fingers softly on his chest, feeling the beat. She blushed. "this sounds a lot like…_love_…", she found the courage to whisper.

He glanced back at her, looking so tired, as if he had battled for months against invisible foes. "Yes…I thought so too…"

She closed her eyes and felt all the tears fall. His thumb brushed them away …and then she let him grab her to make her run aground in his arms. His grip was so tight…he held her in such a close embrace she could hardly breathe, he rested his cheek on top of her head, as both got completely lost in the moment…

She cried silently on his shoulder, drowning in turmoil. He had said it…at last… She forgot everything he had said before. Nothing else mattered anymore. Nothing else mattered, because whatever he did, was because of love…not rejection…

Because of silvery locks in front of his eyes, no one could see how he squeezed his eyes shut at the feel of her heart beating in synch with his, unimaginable euphoric relief replacing the despair and fears. He almost understood Rin and her cries of joy, now.

His eyes opened suddenly, a sledgehammer somewhere in his mind breaking the remaining resistance. It was a day early, but he had finally made up his mind.

"Rin I…", He stopped, caressing her hair, soothing her as much as him, as he contemplated for a brief moment the magnitude of what he was about to say.

"Do…you want to be my mate?", he inquired to her ear.

He felt her stiffen in his arms and break the embrace, staring at him bewilderment. "W-what?!"

The cold demeanour of the lord took over, with a sudden urge to enumerate tons of rational reasons. "It was wrong to get involved…instead of giving you a proper status. Many people at court do not understand your worth. Yet it would be risky to take you as my consort right now...it could provoke uncertainty and battles that would put the Western Lands at risk, which is not a good idea with the threat of the Heartlands rising…"

Rin felt blood leave her face as she realized what he had dared to voice… She felt her lips tremble, her heart revive and breathing speed up as a new wave of emotion was blooming inside of her, her mind barely comprehending that he was seriously talking of commitment, instead of pushing her away!

"You-you mean that you want me as your paramour?"

"That's northern vocabulary Rin, but the notion is the same. You would have new rights, privileges and recognition. You would have protection at all times", he explained in a quicker tone than his usual fashion, still staring at her hand in his, seemingly a bit nervous. "It's…the best I can do to improve your situation…", he explained, while caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. He frowned. "Even though I… think this title doesn't do you justice…"

Then he got caught off guard, her lips crashing on his in an amorous kiss. He closed his eyes and let himself be lead by her passion and boldness, thrills for an addiction he missed so…but he had to break away.

"…Should I take that for a yes?", he asked in a whisper so low she barely heard.

"Of course!" She smiled through her tears, moved and ecstatic all at once. "I-I can't believe it!"

She threw herself in his arms again; holding him in glee and relief, with cries of delight against his chest. He closed his eyes, embraced her back, and caressed her hair; entranced by the pleasant feel it brought him when she sought comfort in his arms (or whatever it was that she sought at the moment). He wasn't sure who exactly was being comforted the most at the moment.

"I thought that you wanted to send me away…", she whispered.

"I…", he paused. "It wouldn't solve anything…", he blurted out, as a poor excuse to explain his intentions, yet he very knew no rational reason could justify his choice.

She held him tighter and breathed in his intoxicating scent, feeling high with gladness, all coherent thoughts leaving her mind as they held each other to their heart's content.

"Being mates…Does…does that mean that I have to commit to this life forever?"

"No. Only a marriage is irrevocable."

"Does that…does that mean you intend to take a wife as well?", she asked worriedly, daring to break the embrace to glance back at him.

"I would never do this." He caressed her cheek, while his traits softened. "You are my dearest. The only one I love…" He had to stop a moment as she threw herself in his arms again, almost smothering him in the process. He held her protectively. "The only one I will ever commit to…"

She silenced him again with a fiery kiss, possessed with urges to love.

This time he kissed back, ardently, locking lips with hers, pulling her close a bit roughly, drowning in relief and febricity. After almost a week of torturing torments, he was finally unshackled of it. A choice that he considered pure madness until the last second now felt absolutely right…

He simply hadn't acknowledged the truth before. But the sight of her in front of him, alive and crying and screaming had forced him to spit out what his crippled insides had kept buried for so long… He loved her. He had loved her for a while, and he never thought that voicing sentiments he knew nothing about would feel so good, and make his choice so easy. It only intensified this foreign and intense feel, giving him the thrill of someone about to fall of a cliff …yet it was only joy coming out of it.

Rin broke the kiss. "I think it is time…", she whispered to his ear.

X.X.X

"Sesshomaru-sama, you can let me go!", Rin exclaimed in a laugh.

"…You barely recovered from the poison", he protested, as he strolled through the corridors carrying her bridal style, oblivious to the bemused subjects.

"Please let me walk on my own, I need to move after all this time in a bed!"

He blinked, glanced at her, and finally resigned himself to set her down, repressing pointless instincts. From now on, he couldn't let his own obsessions surpass her wishes. Meeting her needs he must, more than anything else…

She grinned and grabbed his hand, leading the walk, threading her ways between crowds of soldiers and servants walking around. They fastened their pace as they reached the corridor of the sleeping quarters, febrile like two children about to play a dirty trick.

No doubt lingered in Rin's mind anymore. Instead of sending her away, he was willing to give her a bigger place in his life, acknowledging her in front of his entire court and proclaiming his love. He wanted to be with her, as much as she wanted to be with him, even though she felt so imperfect next to him. Now, she had to be the strongest as possible and sublime her strengths.

They arrived in front of his door. He gave her a sideways glance without opening.

"What?", she asked.

"I'm sorry, it's tradition", he explained.

And then she couldn't help but squeak as his hands got into her back and pulled at the knot of her obi, untying it so quickly that it was a miracle he hadn't shredded it along the way, to make it hang from one of his doors as a trophy of some sort (or a warning to stay away, she wasn't sure), and then finally slid the other one open, letting her get in first. She stepped in his place for the first time head held high, before he followed and closed the door swiftly.

The light of dusk gave a magenta shade to his normally immaculate quarters, but she barely had the time to acknowledge the beauty of it, before she glanced back at him, her lower lip quivering as she realized that was it.

He examined her, with a mix of curiosity and warmness.

"Are you sure?", he inquired softly, one lip corner turning ever so lightly at the blushing maiden.

No words were spoken. Instead, she stared at him with fierceness; took a deep breath and discarded the hesitation at the same time as her furisode. He raised an eyebrow. She pulled at the soft tie, and removed all the rest, hadajuban and undergarments, stepping out of her okobos, and stared back at him, naked from head to toe, exhibiting the curves she knew he loved, feeling all magnificent and powerful while he admired soundlessly, devouring without restraint her naturalness with his eyes.

He glanced back at her wide hazel eyes. Without ever looking away, stepped out of his boots, pulled at his own sash slowly, clearly inspired by her initiative. Rin felt her lips part at the sight, feeling febrile and anxious all at once, as he nonchalantly dropped the upper part of his garbs to reveal his well-built torso, broadness of shoulders highlighted by the fact his hair was still tied. Then he removed the lower part…that she had never seen before, long slender legs, yet from the looks of it, she assumed his thighs must be as hard as stone. And then the underwear was gone with her eyes widening, as he stood completely naked in front of her. She felt her cheeks and many other body parts fire up without any way for her to hide it. As she stood completely still, eyes glued on him, she didn't feel so powerful anymore, in front of the almighty warrior she was giving herself to. Her heartbeat was frantic. She felt overwhelmed, as she realized that she was about to discover the man she loved in a way she had never felt him before. She feared that she might be too frail to satisfy his needs. He was not only a handsome and experienced man, but a youkai at that…a demon lord…

His gaze softened. Even though he found her unease quite endearing, he stepped forward in an urge to soothe her. Her hazel irises filled with hesitation met his ember eyes. He caressed her cheek tenderly (he had missed those red cheeks…).

She let out a nervous laugh and looked down. "I'm-I'm sorry…It's just that…I've…never seen…", she muttered with extreme embarrassment.

"Yes, I've figured that out already", he cut her off with an amused whisper, eyes smiling at the familiarity of the scene. "You have nothing to fear. It is just like dancing…", he explained with such a soft voice he made her heart flutter. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Do you remember the first time we danced?"

"Yes. We were all uncoordinated and wrong…", she blurted out, half sheepish, half playful.

He almost failed repressing chortles. "It was just a brief hesitation before the wonders…", he retorted with half a smile. "But I suppose you preferred our first kiss, then? You were nervous too, just before…", he reminded with sparks in his amber eyes.

She put her hands on the side of his waist, blushing with glee at the memory of the magic…hot night. "…Would you do it again…kiss me like the first time?"

He eyed her lips. "With pleasure."

He laid his hands on her hips and dove. She felt instant reassurance as his lips landed on hers, light and teasing, testing her resolve. She felt her entire body relax and warm up, but he broke away so suddenly, like the first time, to examine her reaction with his warm eyes. She smiled and rested her arms on his shoulders, as he carefully dove in for the next part involving the deep and passionate second kiss. He pushed her just a tad, so she would step back and lie against the wall. She shivered at the feel of the cool surface on her back and let escape a trembling gasp through the kiss as she felt all of his body collide against hers, hot and muscled and obviously in need, his arms against the wall imprisoning her, cold surface on a side and his boiling body on this other, the contrast making her melt like ice in flames.

He broke the kiss with ragged breathing and rested his forehead on hers, desires rising way too quickly for his likings, and grabbed her bridal style, making her gasp in surprise, as he led her to the bed, because otherwise he was going to take her on the wall and it wasn't a good idea for her first time. He set her down on the mattress, ever so gently and locked lips with her again, intoxicated with passion and longing, as he positioned himself over her.

Rin instantly stiffened as she felt his hot skin brush against hers, but the tantalizing kisses under her ear drowned all apprehensions.

"Close your eyes", he blew in a shrouding whisper.

She obeyed very willingly and felt light kissing and tonguing on her lips. She opened her mouth to let him kiss her all in depth, her breathing quickening encouraging him even more, as he seduced her with the tender domination she loved, sending chills down her spine while titillating her sensitive skin with soft touches of his hot hands. She wrapped her arms around him as he kept ministering her lips, until they got red and swollen from all the attention, and briefly paused at her neck, making her moan with a strategically located nip, and after his tormenting kisses went down, down, down…

He spread her legs open, kissing her inner thighs, making her febrile with the suggestive tickling. She blushed furiously and looked down to check if he was going to do the things she had read in the orchid book, thinking she should probably say no to such indecency.

"W-wait!", she whispered in dread.

An electrifying sensation between her legs and hair rising at the nape of her neck silenced her. She dropped her head on the pillow. A loud moan escaped her mouth as lancinating bliss invaded her senses. It wasn't right. It wasn't where a mouth was supposed to go. He had to stop that… but as his tonguing intensified the rush of extreme feels, only a primal yelp came out of her mouth. She felt his hands capture her wrists before she could silence herself.

In the past, she had never understood why some couples were so indiscreet, but now in the heat of the moment…she acutely comprehended his manly desires to hear her scream. And so she closed her eyes again, yielded entirely to the foreign torture of his devilish foreplay and let it all out, as he kept titillating her in her most private areas, bolts travelling frenetically in her body, making her mad with sinful lust. It was almost too much too bear: she wanted to pull away to soothe her sensitive nerves, but she wouldn't stop whimpering instead, and the more she whimpered, the more intensely he tortured, leaving her no choice but to bear the ecstasy that she adored. Fingers meddled into the delightful torment, entering her body, delicately preparing her for what was yet to come. The pleasure of it all was going to kill her, but she couldn't help but move her hips to amplify it the feel, as if she was under an evil spell, cursed, possessed with the needs of the flesh. Now she was in sweat and the bliss was so transfixing that she almost wanted cry.

She felt him touch her to her weakest spot again with his fingers, as he wiped his mouth with his other hand, while eyeing her eyes hungrily. He trailed up his way with kisses, mouth stopping to the neglected breasts, making her shudder as she bucked her hips frantically against his fingers and slid both of her hands in his hair, intensifying his own barely controllable desires to transform her into a complete woman right away. His lips kept going up, now back to her neck with a mix of nips and kisses, as he kept stroking her where she liked it the most. He felt her body twitch from the surplus of electric feels running through her insides, and pulled away a little, to admire her blushed cheeks and red parted lips as she was getting on the edge, pleasure from the tickling pure ecstasy. Her eyes briefly met his own but she didn't even see. She squeezed them shut as she screamed, elation finally reaching its paroxysm, and whimpered as her body got possessed with uncontrollable spasms of completion, each wave of bliss making her more and more languid, leaving only soothing salvation and irrepressible alleviation behind.

She opened her eyes, while trying desperately to get her breath back, her mind all befuddled because of the pleasuring chills. She caught his mesmerizing eyes admiring her as if she were a masterpiece he had just created. She felt different after this…sinful thing. She wasn't afraid of what was to come anymore, she just wanted all of him, and the need was surprisingly urgent.

"It is time", she reminded, with a lazy smile.

"There is no hurry, take your time to…"

"Pleeeease…", she whispered tantalizingly, knowing it was the word he wanted to hear.

As if enslaved by her magical whisper, he climbed over her, covering her with more caresses and kisses, not wanting to ruin the after effects of her first true pleasures. But she apparently didn't agree, one hand finding its way on his weak spot. He clenched his teeth to repress the urge to sigh as she stroked him, soundlessly appreciating her initiative, commanding him to abandon his hesitations at once. She was inexperienced and slightly hesitant, yet no women had ever made him feel so restless with their touches. Before, the needs of the flesh had always been something he wanted to get rid of as quick as possible, a burden, now it felt like a blessing. It must be because it was her…Rin, the first one he ever loved.

She felt him ready himself, enhancing her febricity, but he dared not take her yet. He realized it was the first time he actually cared more about his woman's needs than his own, and he started to doubt, thinking they could maybe wait a little more… He frowned slightly: he never had such qualms before…

She tried to silence his apprehensions again by covering his lips with hers affectionately, silently begging him to make her a woman, but he would not listen. As she became too eager to feel his love, she caressed his hot chest and back with her soft hands and even gave small pushes of her hips against his need, moaning at the surprising pleasure of it. He sighed, this last move finally persuading him to make his way inside of her, his mouth opening and eyes closing at the overwhelming feel of her virginity.

She clenched her teeth at the sensation of her body opening up for the first time, leaving them both panting and their body tense, as they struggled to get accustomed to each other, going through the mandatory hesitations of their first lovemaking. Warm respiration of his on her neck made her glance at his conflicted stare. He had stopped breathing and he stool still, caressing a lock of her hair, tenderly. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want her to cry because of him, ever again. She soothed him another time with a smile and a soft kiss, for a slight tinge of pain was nothing, if it meant she could please him at last.

She frowned a bit as he initiated his comings and goings inside of her, thinking it will certainly take a while to get used to his intrusion. She spread her legs open more, in hopes it would alleviate the discomfort. However, pain became a trivial matter as she glanced at him: amber eyes now clouded with lust and mouth partly opened to let out a ragged breathing. She felt a little depraved, liking that she was the one responsible for this. His own pleasure was contagious. She joined in the love dance, making him pant even more and squeeze his eyes shut as she moved her hips, but even entranced with her heavenly stimulation on him, her tenseness wasn't unnoticed. He frowned, wanting her to enjoy as well.

He let himself fall in the mattress and lifted her up. She stood still on him, looking down with slight confusion, until he taught her to the ways of love: holding her hips, guiding her to him. She felt anxious as he entered her again, her desire to pull away disappearing with a sigh, as she felt surprising thrill at the feel. She moved her hips tentatively, while he kept aiding her, encouraging her to explore and move at her own rhythm. She had no idea what she was doing, but assumed that it couldn't be so bad, with him staring at her with such fascination it was as if a goddess who was riding him. She started to like a lot the feel of his manliness inside of her and the impression that she was the one taming him, making him lose his precious control. She was developing a taste for power.

He admired her surreal beauty, every inch of womanly curve, but then, as he stared back into her lovely eyes, felt his heartbeats unexpectedly quickening. Her love, her closeness and the divine pleasure she gave him…She was so beautiful with her flushed cheek and red lips, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time, striking his heart down without any warning. He started to breath erratically. This had nothing to do mating anymore; it was becoming something entirely different. The foreign feelings whom he had just acknowledged, pouring out uncontrollably with each heartbeat, like blood dripping out from a stab...but death never came, only more life instead…each beat producing renewed wave of the overwhelming sentiment, so much of it he felt like he was engulfed in it. These vulnerabilities he had destroyed and buried his entire life, now emanated from him in gushes without any mean to retain it. His insides were exposed...he was fully naked for the first time in his entire life, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He was all hers to see.

As she stared down at him, her eyes widened. She saw it all: desire, awe, love, fear...vulnerability. She had never seen him like this: so unguarded. And then she realized his reaction wasn't triggered by lust at all, he looked so _lost_… She rushed down to hold him, as he laid on an elbow and slid his other arm around her, so they could meet in tight embrace, for the first time openly seeking comfort and guidance in her arms. He didn't understand at all what was happening to him and he was frightened. His broken soul was not made for such lively feels.

After a few of his trembling pants against her neck, she kissed him tenderly. She quickened her pace, trying to soothe him with her affection, silently persuading him there was nothing to be afraid of. He closed his eyes, intoxicated with her, both his heart and his body at edge because of her, and replied back, with powerful thrusts of aching love trapped inside of him for so long. She didn't need more instruction from him, at this point he didn't know anymore than her what was happening: for the both of them, it was their first.

They moved in synch towards higher levels of thrills. At some point, he was so mad with the feels and feelings that he grabbed her waist to set her down on the mattress again, taking the lead on his own, pounding into her wildly, while listening to the sweet melody of her voice. Her pain now just a mere shadow, so drowned by pleasure she was now, full of him and his love. She wrapped her legs around the lower part of his waist to feel all of him inside of her.

He couldn't control his heavy breathing anymore, her grip on him was now so tight in so many ways: his body about to submit to the primal needs. He slowed down, briefly wondering if he should pull away, like he always did before…until she moved her hips to maintain the rhythm of their lovemaking. His muscles tensed as the bliss of her wicked grasp became unbearable for his body. Something between a sigh and a moan escaped his lips, as he surrendered deep inside of her. She sighed at the feel…so pleasantly intimate for the both of them.

He stayed a moment longer on her, while they both quietly tried to get their breath back, and then turned towards her, showing off features slightly flushed, obviously content with his own intense capitulation, to drop a soft kiss. She moaned quietly, her red lips were sensitive, like the rest of her body.

He crashed next to her and slid an arm behind her back, still longing for closeness. She very willingly snuggled up against his hot chest.

"Are you okay?", he murmured softly, still panting.

She smiled and nodded, as she glanced up at him to caress his cheek. He closed his eyes.

"I didn't hurt you too much?", he insisted, as he reached her neck to kiss her there.

"No", she let escape in a sigh.

"But…"

She faced him and locked lips with his. He greeted the distraction very willingly for a moment, understanding that she was well and didn't wish more inquiries about her physical state, yet he still broke the kiss, gently, and looked at her with concern "I don't want to hurt you. I've never done this before…"

She looked surprised. "Do what?"

He looked away for a brief moment. "To love. I…don't know how this works…"

She smiled. "My lord, I don't know either. I don't think anyone truly understands it."

He frowned at the honorific. "I was hoping you would tell me if I love you wrong…". He caressed her hair. "I want you to tell me if I hurt you…in any way..."

Her eyes glistened, moved by his kindness. "Of course…I will , my lo- ", she sighed as he gently nipped her neck in silent punishment. "…ve…My love."

Then he smiled tenderly, without even the need for her to ask, as he brushed her hair out of her face. She smiled back with awe, cherishing how magnificent he was, with his guard down.

"You should rest", he suggested, as finally, tiredness struck him, his eyelids getting too heavy to stay open.

"You should too", she replied with a small smile. "Don't take it badly, but I've rarely seen you looking so exhausted. Just what happened while I was out?"

"Nothing", he replied curtly, eyes still closed.

"Nothing at all? No attacks, no…"

He opened an eye for a brief sideways glance and silenced her with a finger on her lips. "They say…judicious absence is a weapon."

She blinked. " My mind is a little hazy, would you mind to…"

"Dearest… waiting for you was a terrible ordeal", he explained tiredly.

She felt her heart flutter, and felt her eye prickling with emotion and caressed his face tenderly. "My love…I…missed you too."

She laid her head on his chest, and smiled as he caressed her back. Both tired and entranced with each other's closeness, they journeyed together to dreamland.

…

A/N: "Judicious absence is a weapon" is a quote told by Charles Reade…just so you know.

Now, I deserve some feedback after this! Come on come on!


	19. Rites of Passage

A/N: Thank you all for the feedback. As you may guess, the last chapter was not the easiest to write…

A big inspiration to a famous scene of Game of Thrones at the end of this one. Warning. The final is…bloody…

Enjoy!

Chapter 19: Rites of Passage

Sesshomaru was soundlessly watching, as Rin peacefully slept, lying on her side, back facing him.

The long and dark locks scattered on the whitish blanket…begged him to be touched.

The cream-colored skin of her shoulders and arms…implored him to be kissed.

And the most precious treasures -hazel eyes and lovely smile- were still unattainable.

Enough waiting. He needed her now. He slid closer and closer…eager for his light.

Tips of his fingers, wandered on her hip and ribs: she shuddered at the feel.

Arm snaked at the thinnest of her waist: she stirred, leaning back, craving the nearness.

Warm lips, pecked her cheek and neck delicately: sleepy eyelids opened up, with her smiling.

She glanced back at him with her smile widening.

"Good morning…", she mumbled drowsily, trying to supress a yawn.

His features softened. "…Good to see you awake…sunshine" , he whispered.

She giggled at the new nickname, amused and touched all at once.

His hand glided through her silky hair. "I assume you have slept well?"

She nodded with a heavenly smile, while rubbing her eyes. "What about you?"

He thought about that a moment. He used to leave such question unanswered… "I am rested."

A new wave of kisses trailed down Rin's shoulders and back…but came to a halt. She stiffened with dread.

"D-don't look…", she stammered with sudden dejection.

Why?", Sesshomaru inquired softly.

"Because…it's not … pretty", she muttered, trying to hide under the covers, but his warms hands on her wouldn't let her.

He traced one of the long and narrow scars on her back with his index finger. "They are just darker streaks…", he replied with a frown, voice still mellow.

She felt goosebumps rise on her skin. "Can demons have scars?", she wondered out loud, wanting to think about something else than her own flaws.

"…Sometimes..."

"I haven't seen any on you…even though you fight and all…", she commented as she glanced back at him over her shoulder, with curiosity.

"I have none", he confirmed and then raised an eyebrow. "You know…your marks do not alter your beauty."

She blushed slightly. "Really? But…", she pouted sheepishly. "Don't you think it's a…sign of weakness?"

"Inability to recover from these injuries would be weakness. Your scars prove you survived…", he explained quietly, as she laid on her back to have a better look at him.

"Who…did this to you?", he asked suddenly, with his eyes narrowing.

Rin failed to suppress a smile. So protective he was, and will always be…

"Long ago. I stole to eat, it wasn't the first time in the week, so they beat me."

Sesshomaru displayed cold disdain. "Humans flagellated a hungry orphan child?"

She smiled sadly. "Yes. It happened twice…I was…quite a thief…"

"Hmph…and they call demons beasts…" He brushed a lock of hair out of her face and caressed it with the back of his hand, so tenderly. "I expect you to warn me, if we ever encounter these people…"

"Why?"

He reached her ear. "I wish to scar them right."

She couldn't control the mischievous smile creeping up her lips. "Scar them to death, you mean…"

"Would that bother you?", he wondered with a sideways glance.

She shrugged. "They're already dead. This village got raided long ago."

"A shame…"

She inspected him with tads of surprise. "Kami, you lust for blood early today!"

However, it was not bloodthirstiness she saw in his eyes.

Without further warning, he climbed on her: she gasped at the feel of his hotness on her frail body. He locked lips with hers. She shivered as he deepened the kiss and caressed her cheek all at once. This sudden invasion…It was pure rapture.

"I cannot help it. Any harm to you angers me", he explained in a smooth whisper, after breaking the kiss.

"It was long so ago", she felt compelled to remind, blushing and closing her eyes as he kept expressing affection with his warm lips and hands.

"Don't trivialise this matter…" , he murmured between two kisses on her neck. He caressed her hair. "Your well-being is of the utmost importance."

So like him to say that… She spoke no more and smiled, while silently examining him.

His amber gaze, briefly studying the wavy patterns of her blackish brown locks on the white pillow, met her hazel irises. She felt heat on her cheeks as she noticed her own reflection in his golden eyes, as he maintained his penetrating staring…She had not noticed before, but there was a little something different in his way to look at her this morning. He displayed more than simple affection…he looked a bit unsettled, even vulnerable.

It must be the effect of love…Deep, blatant…love. Rin dared not speak: she thought this open vulnerability was beautiful, and she didn't want to chase it away with pointless questions.

She touched his jawline, markings and cheekbone affectionately with her fingertips…He was handsome...striking…unreachable. He was supposed to be an impossible love. She was only meant to admire silently. How could this be that she was now his mate? It felt so unreal…

She felt her own heartbeat accelerate, as she got lost in the warmth of his eyes again. She adored him so. He may be stoic and rigid with everyone else, and even cruel at times, but he had never been like this with her. Instead he was kind and caring …making her feel so safe and blissful with his comforting embraces, soothing her with his confidence and quietness. He was patient and accepting her humanity and her differences…and he was so wise…a skilled strategist and a perceptive ruler…

She frowned pensively. Him: a proud demon lord, a cold-blooded warrior. Her: mortal human, a peasant at that, a miko's aid. He killed. She healed. She was barely an adult and he…she'd rather not think of his age. How could this be, she wondered? At first glance, they were perfect opposites…yet both were curious about each other and had reached quite a level of understanding. They silently longed for similar things, such as freedom, journeys and adventures. And truth be told, if his state of maturity was converted in human age, he truly wasn't that old… and she herself wasn't that young anymore. She smiled heartedly. She would never have thought they could grow so close…It felt like a dream…

He broke eye contact, to brush her lips with his thumb. She shivered at the thrill. Her insides fired up, as their lips met briefly.

He rested his forehead on hers and he caressed her cheek…as he always did. "As my mate, you must be aware that your life…will not be the same"

"How so?", she wondered in a whisper.

"For many subjects, you were still just a guest under my protection. At best: a replacing councillor. You had no permanence, no status", he replied with a frown. "Now your position is among the highest. If someone ever harms you, even slightly, the severity of the punishment will be exemplary."

She gasped. "But I am not the Lady…"

"You aren't very far behind anymore", he replied with quiet contentment.

She smiled softly. "Is there any…particular way to behave as your mate?"

He thought for a brief moment "Not really…", then displayed wisps of playfulness. "However…you will have to drop the self-consciousness around my subjects and start ordering them…"

Her cheeks turned to pink. She had never made much of a deal of all these hierarchic principles. She remembered how much effort it had taken her to keep her eyes up during the wedding. Now she will have to be dominant…all the time?!

"I'll try…but I suppose I may need a bit of time to adjust..."

"Nonsense." He raised a daring eyebrow. "You already know the basics of domination."

She blinked with confusion "What are you talking about?"

He lied down on his back and lifted her up to make her sit on his waist, his smirk confirming the unspoken insinuations.

She blushed. "…I don't think this compares to the rest of the…daily life", she protested with a shy smile, covering her chest.

"Why not?", he insisted, retrieving seriousness. "If you can be in control with me…why couldn't you order my minions around?", he explained in an amused whisper.

Kami…his logic was not without sense…She glanced back at him, her embarrassment slowly turning into mischief as she observed how attractive he was in morning daylight, feeling a bit wicked to eye him so openly. Her fingers brushed over his torso, to feel the hotness of his…warlike figure. In control…he said?

Her hands rested on his shoulders, as she leaned and dropped soft kisses on his collarbone. She lingered in that area an instant as she laid her ear on his chest, to hear his heartbeat. She closed her eyes as he started to caress her hair tenderly. She sighed ecstatically…until she opened her eyes again, determined to pursue her experiments.

His breathing deepened …the soft skin of her feminine frame brushing against him was a pure bliss…She went down slowly – a bit like he did to her the night before – and got finally one first real reaction, muscles of his abdomen tensing as she placed a few kisses there. She glanced up discreetly and instantly noticed his yearning.

The truth was, he never trusted a woman enough to let her do as she pleases, because he tended to hate unpredictability, but with Rin it was different. Let her experiment and bloom as a woman on top of him had something exhilarating…even if it took quite a lot of willpower…

His jaw tightened as she started to wander around dangerous zones. Their eyes met. Her… way to scrutinize him and her untidy hair, made her look so…_wild_…his insides stirred.

Someone knocked at the door, both of them stiffening at the unpleasant intrusion. Rin looked at the door and back at him worriedly, he just replied with a finger on his lips. If only they assumed they were still sleeping…

Nothing was heard for a while. He felt her kiss his abdomen again with her delightful lips and then she…did wicked thing with her hand... He didn't expect it: eyes closed and he sighed at her pleasant audaciousness.

He hoped no one would ever see him like this, while Rin was on top of him, forcing him to passiveness with her bewitching ministrations. …She was learning to abuse of her power on him way too quickly for his likings. He felt her lips met his own. One of his hands went at the back of her head and deepened the contact eagerly in silent revenge. It was her turn to sigh.

…Now he just wanted to push her on the mattress and take her at once.

"Lord Sesshomaru? My lord…are…hum…are you awake…?", squawked Jaken through the door.

Rin flinched. Sesshomaru broke the kiss with infuriation.

"…No", he retorted, with a mix of laziness and dryness, not even bothering to open his eyes.

She almost burst out laughing. He glanced at her with a frown. Jaken's interference wasn't funny! Especially not while she toyed with him as such!

He sighed. What was the point to deny that he was awake anyway? That was utterly silly…

"Jaken… unless your business can't wait…you should get lost", he retorted threateningly, as Rin resumed her kisses and touches. He closed his eyes…hoping his infuriating lackey will just go away.

"My lord, I don't meant to disturb but…We… were informed there are enemies on the Western Lands. Your mother summoned everyone for an urgent meeting."

Sesshomaru quietly growled in resignation, and pushed on Rin's shoulders gently, giving up the attempts to enjoy her caring attention. She pouted.

"I understand…I'll be there…", he replied as he sat on the bed.

"Th-thank you my lord. I-I shall inform the others."

And then he heard the servant bounce away, probably in hope not to get mauled. Idiot…as if Sesshomaru was going to forget that one…he swore to reduce his servant's lifespan of a few more years in the short term.

"Too bad…duty calls…", observed Rin, as she stretched lazily.

He answered back with nothing, but plain annoyance on his feature, visibly expressing his revulsion at the prospect of interrupting his precious rest with his dearest for a painful meeting.

"I should come too, right?", she inquired, but winced at the feel of her sore muscles as soon as she sat on the edge of the bed. He grabbed her waist and pushed her back on the mattress.

"No you don't.", he murmured, covering her of a few final kisses before an excruciating departure of the bed.

She smiled in delight, closing her eyes, pleased with the attention. "Why?"

"You will be busy yourself. As soon as you will get out of bed, they will absolutely want to make you bathe for…rituals of purification and whatnot…It will take a while", he explained with disinterest.

"And what if you have to leave urgently?", she inquired worriedly. "Will I see you before you leave?"

He couldn't help but peck her on the lips. " I am not going anywhere." He frowned. "I bet someone, somewhere, just wanted me up…to relieve obsessive curiosity…"

Rin smiled slightly. She had no trouble imagining the court fussing about the red obi hanging from his door. She shrugged in resignation and enjoyed the comfort of the mattress for a moment. Maybe she could stay in there…just a few minutes more…She wallowed in the sheets shamelessly.

Sesshomaru watched her longingly, all the while he got dressed, but she wasn't sure what he wanted more between her and the precious bed…maybe a bit of both.

"I'm sorry, I am a bit cruel now, am I?", she wondered playfully.

Spreading her sweet scent in his things…he didn't mind that. He smirked. "Enjoy it while you can…You have quite a day awaiting…"

Her smile faded as he got out. Now, how was she supposed to play lazy with a warning such as this? What was truly lying ahead? Certainly not just baths!"

She sighed and buried her face in the fluffy pillow in frustration.

…

Tip, tap, tip, tap, tip, tap, tip…

Lemony eyes glanced and narrowed at the little beak, tip tapping against the window of the study. Green and yellow bird, with a silly stare, probably obsessed with its own reflection in the glass.

It was either that…or the little creature was searching for its master. Rin.

Sasori huffed. She had heard funny tails about the fact this frail creature had guided her son in his quest to retrieve his human. How ridiculous it sounded…Even if this little thing was an _obake bird_, no way it would know how to retrieve the human in the wilderness. Unless the reincarnated spirit inside the bird had already lived on the Western Lands before…but it was very unlikely. Obake creatures mostly serve former relatives, and the Lady of the West was sure Rin didn't have any family or friends who lived here in their previous existence.

As if knowing it was under watch, the little feathery thing stopped tip tapping annoyingly, and groomed its feathers instead. It looked so innocent. Lady Sasori's trait softened. It was kind of cute. She understood why someone compassionate like Rin would bother with this type of creature. It looked so fragile…

No one will think this little frail bird could be harmful, but Sasori knew this little creature was in fact… sly. Tip tapping against glass sure was useless, but eventually, the little bird will find out that the wooden edge of the wide window has started to soften and rot, and will tip tap there instead, until it digs a hole deep enough, and then this little mortal bird will fly inside and may even land on her head and entangle its little claws in her own silvery hair, as if she was nothing but a dusty furniture this mortal creature could rest on…

The Lady Mother repressed a sigh and glanced back at the vassals: the two foxes, talking about Sesshomaru's ward, while her futile nephew sat there, watching them argue, arms crossed behind his neck, with a devious smirk…as if he enjoyed the show…or as if he knew things the foxes didn't, Sasori wasn't sure.

She smiled without even noticing. Tenmaru…It's funny: he always gave her the impression that he liked the human girl. He used Rin for his dance lesson, helped her steal the seat of the Lady of the West at the wedding, he spoke highly of her beauty all the time and even downright suggested to Rin to become his paramour, and his sleazy bride even seemed to agree. Why didn't he just take her for himself? Why did he have to leave Rin to…Sesshomaru?

Silly boys…Rin's presence make things complicated…If this human girl had a thing for demons, it would have been simpler to accommodate her with a noble of lower birth, like Tenmaru, or another suitor less lecherous if she so wished... Why did it have to be her son? Sesshomaru wasn't destined…to take a human as his bride. His blood was among the purest. His father and her had given up on so many of their own personal ambitions to give birth to a heir of his power …With his powerful blood of the Inu Clan and Moon tribe, he was meant for supremacy and perfection…He was not meant to be the last of his calibre, diluting his precious heritage with a mere…peasant human.

Sasori huffed. It was so mortifying to see Rin's red obi hanging from her son's chamber, a human… If at least she would have had blue blood like Izayoi, it could have been easier to defend…her blood might have preserved a bit of her son's power. But a mortal and a commoner would give him not only a controversial heir, but a weak one as well…and would call into question the nature of their lands.

How were they supposed to maintain their empire in these conditions? A demon lord needs to be the most powerful warrior of his lands to inspire respect and dominate in peace. No way a half-breed could be the most powerful warrior of the Western Lands…such an heir would see its authority challenged that was certain. But apparently it didn't stop her son to take his human ward and make the event publicly known, as if she was worthy of the honour.

Sasori couldn't hide the bitterness on her features anymore. She couldn't believe she was going to be replaced by Rin… She certainly wouldn't have given her so many precious tips, if she had known that she was going to dethrone her as such…

The door opened slowly, with a low creak, her son finally stepping inside the room, hair still a bit damp from a bath, and looking so satisfied through his usual impassiveness. Everyone silenced and bowed ceremoniously…

Sasori frowned disapprovingly. Her son used to be a such a brilliant child and a stripling full of promises, devoid of all these…_needs_… Now he was doing unreasonable choices because of mere…physical wants. He had become…a lascivious man dependant of women's flesh, like his filthy cousin and his father before him. It was so wrong! A lord's life was not about lechery and pleasure. It was about power and duty.

The Lord of the West sat his usual seat, at the farthest place of his beloved mother. He crossed his arms nonchalantly.

"Care to explain why you deemed necessary to disturb me so early?", he inquired while glancing far away in front of him, at no one in particular.

Jaken gulped at his remark.

Sasori smiled icily. "You are usually up at these hours, Sesshomaru. What could keep you in bed so late, I wonder?", she inquired teasingly.

He remained perfectly impassive, arms still crossed. He had never liked how she still tried to control him all the time…as if he was still a malleable and naïve child.

The Lady Mother seemed to get the cue and decided to continue half-heartedly.

"We were informed of intrusions coming from the oriental borders…again…" She glanced darkly at Tatsumaki, the incompetent wind demoness. It was the third time she failed them now…

"How many foes?", inquired Sesshomaru, way too peaceful for his mother's likings. Sasori frowned. He was resting his face on his fist now…couldn't he have a little more restraint?

"About two hundreds, my lord", pursued the vassal, while looking at the table nervously.

"Now that's funny. Do you have termites on your borders, Tatsumaki?", threw Tenmaru jokingly.

Sesshomaru bothered with an irritated sideways glance. He was in no mood to hear silly jokes, but it was too early for violence.

"I can only echo my nephew's jesting, Tatsumaki. How many times have you disappointed us now?", wondered the Lady Mother with wisps of disapproval.

"We all know there have been more attempts to penetrate the Western Lands coming from the East than from anywhere else", reminded Sesshomaru nonchalantly.

"Maybe it's time to find someone capable for the task, then", suggested Sasori.

The wind demoness gave a dirty look at the Lady of the West, but gulped as soon as she noticed her suzerain's insistent gaze.

"Indeed, there has been a few failures in the areas you are supposed to protect, Tatsumaki", observed the Lord of the West, placid. "I expect adequate explanations from you."

"Obviously, some nomads always find a way to sneak in or out, even with your imperial guards around. I am starting to wonder if physical barriers…is not what we need…"

"Great walls are highly expensive", retorted the Lady Mother.

"There are mountains on roughly half of the North's frontiers. South is neighboured by human villages and the coast has a fleet…This is the only place that would require such a mean of defense", specified the vassal with all the tact she was capable of.

"And what do you think your pretty walls will do to flying demons?", inquired Sasori with a smirk.

"I think your son just said it, but maybe your short term memory is damaged by age…", retorted wind demoness sourly. "We DID get more intrusions in the last six months from the Heartlands than in the last three hundred years, my lady!And it's not because it's mostly birds who reached your castle last time that birds should be our only preoccupation!"

"I've seen wars before you were even born, little witch… and in eons of reign, we never needed physical means of defense", Sasori bit back, narrowing her eyes threateningly. "I see only one problem and it's your incompetence."

Sesshomaru sighed. This catfight was not going anywhere.

"High walls on the entire eastern frontier is excessive, Tatsumaki", he conceded blandly. "However, I may be inclined to consider this solution for sensitive areas…"

Tatsumaki blinked. "Like next to the Kuza abyss?"

"What I am saying is that if you identify the critical sources of infiltration and make feasible recommendations, I may think about it", he specified with tedium. "I expect you to attend to this task after you rid us of the culprits who penetrated our lands."

"Son, you don't intend to go on your own?", wondered Sasori. "You still trust her after all her failures?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I trust my vassals yes. You have a problem with that?", he spat back coldly.

The Lady Mother's lips became a thin line… Great…now he behaved exactly like his late father: uselessly forgiving and understanding with his subjects…adamant to solve his problems the soft way. There was a time he always made sure to kill the incompetents…

She just hoped this gentleness will not be permanent. It wasn't her role to be the mean one!

"My lord, if I may be so bold, the South is quiet, we could assist Tatsumaki", suggested Kireru.

"Nozomi can assist with a few warriors if she so wishes", replied Sesshomaru. "However, you will be required for other tasks in the short term, Kireru."

The fox demon looked intrigued but spoke no more.

"That settles it, then", concluded the lord with what looked like relief. "If there are no other urgent issues to discuss about…"

"Well, now that we are at it…there was a bit of rumblings up North…", brought up Tenmaru insouciantly.

"Does that qualify as an urgent issue?", inquired Sesshomaru, as he raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

His cousin shrugged. "Meh…Could wait…"

"Then you are all dismissed", he finished, pushing his chair, ready to stand up.

"Wait!", protested Sasori. She made a sugary smile. "I think you forget something…Sesshomaru."

He raised an eyebrow. "I think we are done", he insisted.

"You think so?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Affirmative."

He stood up and started to walk out.

"There was a red obi seen on your door, my son.", observed Sasori with wisps of impatience. "Rin's obi…I believe…"

"What about it?"

"Do you have a special announcement to make?"

"You have such a fascination about Rin's status, don't you", he retorted suspiciously at his mother. "I was going to use the traditional means of communications."

"Son! How cruel to leave us hanging like that!", exclaimed Sasori with a playful smile.

"Yes, we all want to know! Please Sesshomaru-sama, indulge us!", begged Nozomi.

He repressed a sigh. Enough childishness. He was eager to leave. "Rin has become my mate. The official announcement will be made shortly."

He made another step towards the door.

"Mate?", wondered Sasori out loud.

"Yes.", he retorted dryly, stopping in his tracks, glancing at her. "You've heard well. She is my mate and I expect she will want to keep a seat on the council as well. So you should get used to the fact that she is not…going anywhere", he spat back, with contempt.

With that he left… leaving a very intrigued Lady Mother behind. She frowned. It was such a peculiar choice. No lords of the Western Lands had taken a simple mate before an official consort since…eons…But it also meant that her son had not been foolish enough to call into question the demon status of the Lands during risky times, he at least had that delicacy. He may even decide… not to change the West's status at all at this point. Nothing was certain…

The Lady Mother was quite speechless…As soon as she had seen the red obi, she had been certain that she was going to lose her title, and any mean to give it to a woman of proper birth…It seemed that she was wrong…

She smiled unemotionally. So Rin was now Sesshomaru's mate…Maybe she could live with that. But she needed complete answers. Rin sure was easier to talk to…and to read than her son…Now if she only had the confirmation from her that she wasn't aspiring to obtain her title anymore and that her son had no intention to give it to her, maybe Sasori could end her time-consuming quarrels with the human and get back to a peaceful coexistence with her.

And so the Lady Mother left the room, intent on finding out the entire truth.

…

Rin hummed to herself cheerfully as she walked back inside the mansion, after a cutting a dozen red roses in the gardens. After being bathed in a very elaborate fashion with special –very expensive, she didn't doubt – fragrances, she was informed of a few more details. The first one about her safety. She was told that four guards had been assigned to watch her at all times inside the castle's walls: warriors from Sesshomaru's personal guards… so experienced and skilled that she will apparently, never notice them, unless she gets attacked…

Indeed, as she glanced around herself, she couldn't see anyone…She was sure she was going to forget about them and do silly things when she thought herself alone, but she supposed that couldn't be helped.

…On a brighter note, she was also informed that there will be a few rituals to celebrate her new union with Sesshomaru! And the first task required a bit of work.

And so she sat at a table and started the remove the thorns on the red roses with a sharp knife, intent on achieving something fancy for her beloved. She grinned with excitement. As she kept herself busy, she saw a shadow loom over her. Her smile widened, but she kept going at her tasks as if she hadn't noticed, wondering what was going to be _his_ next move.

"Now now…what we have there?", inquired a low fake-suave voice.

Rin startled and glanced up, eyes widening. "Te-Temaru?!"

He smiled victoriously and bowed dramatically. "In flesh and bones, my sweet Rin", he announced proudly, as he sat in front of her.

"It…is good to see you again!" She laughed with a bit of embarrassment. "Kami, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you!"

"Yes, I assumed you have mistaken me for _someone_ else …" , he replied raising his eyebrows suggestively. "My my…womanhood looks splendid on you."

She returned her attention to her red roses with embarrassment. "So you heard the news?"

"We've all seen the gracious obi hanging from our lord's door", he smiled mischievously. "Congratulations. You may have become the most powerful woman of these lands, and one step closer to the ultimate goal."

She glanced back at him doubtfully. "Ultimate…goal?"

"Tsk-tsk. Innocence is for maidens, sweet Rin. And we all know you aren't one anymore…Your beautiful singing last night the evident proof", he teased suggestively.

She felt heat on her cheeks, as she remembered what Sesshomaru was doing during her "beautiful singing", and then it struck her.

"Wait…If you are here…That means my mandate as warden of the North is over?"

"Pretty much so", he confirmed. "And with your unconsciousness, you left me with piles of boring paperworks!", he exclaimed with sudden unhappiness.

"Oh …I'm sorry…", she whispered a bit sheepishly, she looked confused. "But, that means…I was out for an entire week?!"

"About that yes…"

She gasped. "…I didn't think it had been that bad…"

Tenmaru gave her a knowing look. "Oh shush...This little incident served you marvellously. Do you have any idea how much time your precious mate spent at your bedside, brooding about your state?"

Rin looked puzzled. "No…but I know he wasn't there when I woke up yesterday…"

"Yes...he did bother to move around, once in a while…to prove he wasn't dead on his chair", added Tenmaru, leaning down a bit towards Rin. "You made him so worried sick about you…Some say his eyes were even teary at some point!", he whispered.

She gasped. "No way!"

"Yes way."

She frowned. "I don't think it's true. He…would never…"

"Yeah, I agree, but I found that story highly entertaining…Sesshomaru crying…great gods!", he replied with a scoff. "At least, this sad incident forced him to listen to my brilliant advices. Again.", he muttered with a sly smile.

Rin displayed scepticism. "What do you mean, brilliant advices?"

Sesshomaru's cousin huffed. "You think he came with this idea of taking you as his mate on his own? By the time he would normally have had this idea by his himself, you would have been long dead from old age…"

Rin blinked. Tenmaru smirked.

"You owe me, sweet Rin. I've vouched for you, from day one…"

"Oh please", Rin commented derisively.

"I swear…", he continued solemnly, gesticulating for the show. "When he impaled me with his eyes after I kissed your hand, I knew you were meant for a higher purpose. And so, I started seeding the idea into his mind to take you on the strategic council. I harassed him for weeks before he agreed! I am also the one who forced him to admit how you were so "off limits" at my own wedding", he added with a smirk. "Most recently… I made him understand taking you as his mate was a smart way to test the waters with his subjects…to tame them all in softness…before doing the bold and chivalrous move to make his beloved human the Lady of the West!"

Rin blinked again, completely confused, not sure what to think anymore. "You make it seem like everything Sesshomaru did, was because you gave him the answer right before…"

"For Kami's sake, he wasn't even aware you were a fully grown, voluptuous and available woman before I intervened!", he replied, throwing his hands in the air in indignation. "Be grateful of my precious aid. Without my intrusion, I bet you would still be playing hide and seek in the backyard right now…"

Rin smiled doubtfully. "And why exactly did you so _vouch_ for me, Tenmaru?"

He crossed his arms, surprisingly serious. "To serve the realm of course. Our almighty block of ice needs someone like you in his life. Trust me, it serves everyone's interests …"

"Everyone's interests…are you sure about that?", wondered Rin sceptically.

"Little Rin, there you are!", exclaimed a feminine voice.

Tenmaru gave knowing eyes at Rin before smiling at the incoming Sasori. "Dear aunt! Good to see you!", he exclaimed cheerfully.

"I see we can trust you to find our favourite human first, Tenmaru", she commented, with wisps of playfulness.

"I may be married, but my flair for pretty girls is still working well", he retorted with a grin.

Rin shifted uncomfortably on her seat as the Lady Mother sat next to her nephew. "Congratulations Rin…You are officially one of us, now…", she said with a mysterious smile. "How delightful."

"Yes…", Rin replied politely, truly not knowing what else to reply.

The demoness raised an eyebrow, as she inspected Rin's clothing. "Burgundy furisode? I thought you said you would try purple next time …"

Rin smiled, not in the mood for confrontations. "It would be rude to steal your fetish colour, Sasori-sama…You wear the ruler's colour best."

Sasori held her chin pensively. "About that. Should I understand from the most recent developments that Sesshomaru still has plans to take a pure-blooded consort to lead the West?"

Rin froze. It is certainly not what she had understood from her conversation with him the day before…

…And why again was the Lady Mother trying to make her spill the beans? Did Sesshomaru not tell her he had no intention to take a demon consort? What was the point not to tell her…if it meant she would keep trying to match him against his will all the time?

However, Tenmaru's sceptical expression…that Rin could very conveniently see without the Lady Mother knowing, only confirmed her first impression…that she was better to just…shut up.

"Rin?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, my lady", she replied innocently.

Sasori raised a doubtful eyebrow. "Oh I am sure he must has talked to his new mate about this very important matter…"

Rin shrugged candidly. "…A simple title is such a trivial detail…compared to everything else we had to talk about…"

"Is that so?", wondered the Lady Mother, raising a sceptical eyebrow.

"I know he has to deal with many… expectations. To be truthful, I am just glad he wants me in his life", Rin insisted with a sweet smile.

"So you would be fine with him taking a pure-blooded wife?", Sasori pursued quizzically.

Pure-blooded. Rin hated that word. She frowned. "At this point I don't think I would care, knowing this would only be a front."

Tenmaru coughed while Sasori smiled icily. "I see…", she only cared to reply.

Rin smiled uneasily and got back to her flower project, lying on the table, removing all the remaining thorns swiftly.

"On another subject…The maid cleaning our Lord's chambers confirmed me earlier that you were indeed a maiden", observed the Lady Mother, matter-of-factly.

Rin blushed furiously. Why did she bring that up? That was so embarrassing to talk of such private things in public!

"That is hardly a surprise, dear aunt", replied Tenmaru boringly, while his chin was resting on his fist, absolutely not shocked by the news.

Rin had to repress a sigh; not liking her intimate life had become a public affair.

Sasori smiled playfully. "We do have a few customs around here, as you may already be aware. Giving an untainted heart to a dog demon has implications for us…"

"Oh…yeah…it's true…" Tenmaru thought out loud, with a devious smile.

"What are you talking about?", wondered Rin with worries.

"You'll see…" Sasori winked. "Just make sure to have an empty belly tonight".

That didn't reassure Rin at all.

And then someone sat next to her. Before she could give a sideways glance, she felt a warm hand grab hers to place a chaste kisses. She grinned.

"Good afternoon…my dearest", Sesshomaru said smoothly.

Sasori raised an eyebrow at the nickname, as the cousin could barely control his self-satisfied smile.

Rin blushed in glee. "My love, it is such a joy to see you", she added further. Public displays of affection were fun, she decided.

"Are you ready for the tasks we must attend to on this pleasant day?", the Lord of the West inquired stoically, while caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Almost! Just give me a minute or two! I got a little carried away…", Rin explained cheerfully , reluctantly abandoning the warm hand to twist the flower stems together.

Sesshomaru darted a sceptical sideways glance at the roses.

Sasori smile smugly. "What is it, son? You know of the custom …You must wear a symbol of your _dearest_ for an entire day. Since your new mate has no sigil of her own, she can pick any symbol of her choosing, which seems, in this case, to be flowers…"

Rin glanced at him and pouted. "Oh don't make this face, my love. It's not a flower crown!"

"What is it then?", he wondered with barely concealed dread.

She grinned. "Don't worry, it will be manly enough for you. Just wait and see!"

He inspected carefully the way she twisted the stems at quite a quick pace. He found that quite impressive how skilful she was at this task.

"Holy hell… Do you do flower crowns for a living?", wondered Tenmaru, echoing Sesshomaru's thoughts.

"This is not a flower crown!", protested Rin. "There!"

She stood up to demonstrate her work of art. A wide rose necklace, flowers acutely distanced from each other with the stems and leaves. Sesshomaru stood up and let her put it on him. It was long enough to hang on his armour…fitting well with his usual attire. She had even taken a kind of rose not too fragrant. Fair enough…he could live with that.

"See? It is nice!", exclaimed Rin cheerfully.

"Indeed", admitted the Lady Mother. "We recognize our flower specialist here."

Sesshomaru simply nodded in silent gratitude.

"My turn, now…"

He took off his pelt to put in on Rin's shoulder. She repressed the urge the squeal in delight.

"Oh Kami! This thing is heavy!", she exclaimed. She had forgotten…

"Maybe you should put it on both shoulders as I do", suggested the Lady Mother.

"Bad idea…This thing is so wide and massive it would block my view on both sides!", Rin exclaimed with a laugh.

Sasori huffed. "Of course, since my son has insisted not to trim it, I suppose it must be awfully intrusive and hot."

Tenmaru grinned. "You look like an inu demon now, Rin!"

Rin blushed with glee. "Do I?"

Sesshomaru just stared with silent satisfaction. His pelt looked very good on her. Too bad it was only for a day…

"Shall we go?", he inquired softly. "I must present you to my people, and introduce you to your new homeland as well."

She grinned, heart fluttering at the new expression. _New homeland_…her home…She just nodded, clung to his upper arm, and off they went.

…

Madam Flower. It was the nickname the children in first neighbouring village had given her, as Rin took the time to make flower crowns with young girls, while teaching them songs and told tale of old stories about their quest to defeat Naraku Sesshomaru had almost forgotten about. Naraku's presence had been a threat more to humans than demons, and so, her stories were mostly new to these villagers.

Sesshomaru let Rin socialize freely, merely introducing her and letting her do all the rest. Rin had no idea what she was supposed to say to his people…but she knew for a fact that if he would have been displeased by her behaviour, he would have let her know, with either words, or an annoyed expression…anything. She assumed from his relaxed stoicism that everything she was doing was fine, and she kept chitchatting without any worries.

After befriending the children, and their mothers moreover…they moved on to another village, where Rin conversed with men this time, at which she delivered some colourful tale of their trip to Kun'Ketsu, with the storms on the boat and the minions of the Central Lands and all…strengthening in their minds the idea that the Heartlands was an issue, rampaging foreign countries for no reason. Rin knew this would be the type of speech Sesshomaru would like to hear about, his participation to these talks was the evident proof. Rin was pleased…

In a third village, she gave some tips to old women to repair broken limbs and chase away evil spirits, taught by Kaede…the kind conversation she would have had with her deceased caretaker's elderly friends. In fact, she found out most demons were not good at anything related to treating injuries, since they have self-regeneration abilities. However, the eldest demonesses with weaker health did appreciate the advices.

In that third village, Rin was given another nickname: the Sun Princess that was. She understood only later that this nickname was in reference to the fact that Sesshomaru was called the Moon Prince before he became lord. Rin was interested to hear that, and intended to use that nickname eventually.

Really, Sesshomaru had almost nothing to do of the day, Rin did all the talking and she never had the impression her company wasn't appreciated. It was true talking was not hard to her…and strangely, these demon peasants looked so…so harmless. Except for their different physical looks, and some weird questions about her lifespan or human customs once in a while…it felt the same as with her own kind.

Sesshomaru was surprised as well. People were throwing rice at them and cheering as they passed by, covering Rin with praise and gifts, as if they we married, as if she were the Lady of the West already…

He knew the villages neighbouring his castle were loyal, but he had expected that some negative reactions could occur anyway. But Rin was only the object of gossips and fascination, and men and women, children, parents and elderly… She attracted so much attention, he did felt like a mere sidekick, and it was odd, but he was willing to bear it. This day was not about him. It was about Rin meeting her…subjects…

He started to wonder why he had cared with half measures in the first place. He felt as if the threats regarding humans on his own lands might not be founded. However, it changed nothing to the Heartlands and their human extermination agenda, so he supposed that not taking Rin as his consort right away was not an unwise idea. After all, taking a human mate was already an important choice… His relation with Rin was now a public affair. Her new status already gave her the potential to carry heirs, he only needed to proclaim any offspring she gives him heir of the Western Lands. He had that power.

Sesshomaru felt content that Rin now stood officially at his side as such. He never thought he, of all people, could feel such intense joy at the prospect of sharing his life with a woman…

Oddly, he couldn't help but think of his father. He would have loved Rin, of course. His father respected humans, and loved warm personalities. Rin is everything he valued…

Sesshomaru himself was not close to his father, who despised his coldness and ruthlessness. Maybe it would have been different now. With Rin at his side, his father would have stopped saying he was devoid of a soul…

Now they were walking towards their final destination…Rin was riding Ah Un with a pleased smile on her face. She silently watched Sesshomaru, apparently lost in thoughts. She often inspected him when he was thinking such as this…silently admiring his traits and wondering what exactly was going through his mind…

"What are you thinking about?", she voiced innocently, with a smile.

He glanced at her for a while before answering.

"Us", he replied earnestly.

"What about us?"

"I was thinking about the future", he replied quietly. "I think it is bright."

She smiled heartedly. And so she was right. He was satisfied with her. "This day was really enjoyable. I didn't think your people could be so talkative and nice. Demon villagers are not very different from humans after all…" She smiled pensively. "I find odd, how we feel compelled to live away from each other like this…when we are all so similar in truth…"

He didn't reply to that. The answer was complicated. It was cultural, and involved the different lifespans as well, but he did take in her opinion, for proper contemplation later.

"There we are", he announced.

Rin gasped as a wide castle of stones stood proudly among the mature trees.

"What is it?", she wondered.

"One of the former castle of the West. It is now used as a fortress and training center for the recruits…let us go…"

They soon reached tall gates protecting the building. Rin couldn't help but notice the little windows with bars. Rin thought it looked the opposite of Sesshomaru's mansion, with tall windows all closed with clear glass.

Soon after, the gate opened and the sight left Rin speechless.

There were wide armies on both sides. The Lord and his mate stepped on the pathway, all warriors bowing as soon as they reached their level. Rin knew they were bowing for Sesshomaru and not for her…but she couldn't help but watch in awe, and feel almighty and powerful anyway. Her orphan moments, being beaten up by cruel villagers sure looked far away now. She wondered how many people have experienced such contrasting experiences in their lives. She sure felt privileged…

After what seemed to be an endless walk towards the castle, they finally got in. Sesshomaru presented her to a few imminent warriors and generals, and then she learned this huge, yet cool and dark stronghold was the place where her lord had spent the longest part of his childhood. Rin frowned at the thought, remembering that Inu Taisho's castle of the West wasn't this one; she had heard it had been destroyed…Why did Sesshomaru live in this place, she wondered? He could certainly have proper training and education where his parents resided… She dared not question him now, because all the men were busy with strategic talking about the training of the first soldiers who will be sent to Kun'Ketsu shortly.

After a while, they were freed from the loquacious warriors and Sesshomaru lead her to an armoury. She stared in awe at the tall axes and lances displayed on the walls, much bigger than any human weapon, but Rin had quite truthfully no idea why he had brought her there…

She looked out the window, admiring soldiers practicing all in synch outside with heavy iron swords.

"So…you grew up mostly with warriors and apprentices?", she inquired in a whisper.

He stopped an instant; he was rummaging through a closet. "Correct."

She took a small moment to digest that information. Suddenly, so many things made sense…including Sesshomaru's lack of interest for sedentary tasks…or his contempt for nobles.

"Why?", she couldn't help but ask.

He didn't answer right away. "It is important for human parents to take care of their own children... Is that correct?"

"Yes…"

"In demon customs, especially in noble and wealthy families, it is common for the child to be parented by the most…competent authorities instead…"

Rin frowned. She wasn't sure what to make of that explanation and unspoken implications, which troubled her more than anything else. She dared not question him further.

He finally found what he was looking for. He walked back in her direction, holding a thin blade. He held it out to her, both of his hands holding it horizontally as if he wanted to entrust it to her.

Rin blinked and just watched the weapon. He read the surprise on her facial features.

"It is to replace your dagger that I disgracefully discarded in the woods", he explained quietly, hiding his uneasiness. "I thought relevant to replace it with a blade easy to use and powerful enough to grant satisfactory protection…"

"Kaede used to say that women should seek gentler weapons than swords", Rin replied carefully.

He darted her with knowing eyes. "…If you say that don't want to wield it…I will not believe you".

She smiled at his remark. "…As silly as it sounds, I never tried using one that long. That's a real…offensive weapon…", she observed with amazement, watching its length with round eyes.

He took it by the scabbard and held it out to her one more time, handle towards her this time. "Take it." He raised an eyebrow at her doubtful features. "Don't be scared... It won't burn your fingers", he prompted with wisps of playfulness.

"Okay okay!", she exclaimed after a giggle. She took it, removed carefully its scabbards and gasped at the intricate red and black linings on it …almost as beautiful as Bakusaiga's…

Rin swung it in the air and was amazed by how light it was. The blade was sure…not as long as Bakusaiga, but it was much longer than the dagger she used to carry, but it was thinner and looked extremely sharp. She dared not touch anything else than the handle with her fingers.

"It's…it's beautiful…thank you", she whispered with a content smile. "It's just sad I have no idea how to use it, though…", she added with a cautious sideways glance.

Sesshomaru looked at the blade in her hands, something indecipherable crossing his amber gaze before he spoke up. "It was entrusted to me, when I was younger."

Rin blinked in surprise. "You mean…as a child?"

"Yes", He looked away and walked towards the window. He repressed a sigh, ready to step on his pointless pride.

"The fox-girl suggested that you train with her, to increase your fighting skills so you can be prepared if there are other attempts to harm you. Is this something that you would consider?"

Rin suppressed a gasp and an incoming grin, mentally thanking Nozomi. "I would love to! I used to train many times a week, back in the village! But I did stop since I am here…"

"If you want to fight, than fight you should…", he narrowed his eyes. "But expect to be heavily guarded and the foes not to be very impressive for your first times, if you ever bring your practice outside the castle's walls."

She sheathed the sword and hugged him to heart's content. "Thank you so much…I know this is not easy for you to let me do this…"

No it wasn't. His pride bled badly. He still couldn't believe he had decided to go along with the human boy's approach…

"But I swear I will make this worthwhile!" She grinned. "Does the sword have a name?"

Sesshomaru blinked. Twice. "No…"

Rin frowned. "Really?"

"It doesn't", he assured quickly. "But feel free to name it…Give it a new life", he added, features softening.

Rin swore she picked up melancholy in his voice.

"I hope this blade will serve you well…", he continued with a low voice. "There are foes inside the castle, and even with the best of guards around you, I suppose it is wise for you to have your own mean of defense for the time being…"

Rin gulped. "So…you think there is someone who really wants me ill will?"

He frowned. "I am afraid so."

"Do you have leads?"

He didn't answer. Quite truthfully, he knew the answer would harm her more than it would help.

As Rin frowned he knew his silence was not going to get him out of this one.

…

"Wh-what am I supposed to do again?", wondered the maid quizzically.

Kireru wanted to face-palm in exasperation, and he was not the type to display irritation: which meant that his despair was great.

"Get inside. Search through her papers. I know she keeps the most important ones in her apartments. Retrieve anything who may resemble correspondence with the enemy…"

The maid blinked. "Why is it me who have to do this again?"

"Because of your scent. You are her maid… If I get in on my own, she will know I was there. Besides, you know better than I where exactly she hides her things", the fox explained, knowing it was not the first time he told this to her.

"F-fine…Here I go!", she whispered, as she slid the door and got inside swiftly, as the fox demon glanced left and right, confirming no one was around.

Why did Lady Sasori have such mindless maids again? Did she surround herself with helpless servants in hopes they would be more loyal? Kireru repressed a sigh as he laid his back against the wall. He started to doubt this plan was going to work, but he had to try. His suzerain had requested him to investigate on the Lady Mother and he had to do his best. Though he knew Nozomi might have been more competent for such a sneaky task, he did understand that Sesshomaru trusted him more, because he knew his vassal had a long-lasting dislike of the Lady Mother.

Kireru frowned in contempt as he thought of her. In his opinion, her views about duty and obsession with blood purity were a barrier to progress for the Western Lands. Inu Taisho knew that. In fact, he had known that from the beginning. Sasori had always been a symbol of conservatism, but it wasn't like the former lord ever had a choice, when it came to pick his official consort. So…if there was something…anything that might incriminate the Lady Mother, in regards to Rin's abduction, Kireru will very gladly assist, if it meant they could finally get the Western Lands rid of this harmful woman...

Which brought him back to the current problem. Sasori's maid was easily buyable, but not very smart…He just hoped she hadn't lied to him about her ability to read…

"Oh! ", he heard her say.

Kireru glanced inside worriedly.

"Kami! Oh Kami I can't believe it!", she exclaimed not so discreetly.

"You have… something?"

"Yes!"

"Make sure to hide all traces of your visit. She must not find out!", he whispered.

The maid obeyed and got outside, excited like a little girl, and gave him a piece of paper. He glanced around carefully, before his eyes landed on it, and widened.

"This can't be…", he muttered

"It's lizard language, right?"

Yes it was…Kireru was unbelieving. The maid wasn't so helpless after all…He himself could not understand the lizard's primitive writing well, but he knew the lord could. In any case, the fact that Sasori had a letter written in this language hidden in her private chambers was…very suspicious to say the least…

The fox demon smiled. The prospect of accelerating Rin's accession as Lady of the West was enthusing.

Green eyes narrowed. "I suppose you are aware I expect secrecy from you."

The maid nodded. "My lips are sealed."

And with that, they left the corridor, walking alongside the walls like thieves.

…

"I don't think _she_ had anything to do with this", Rin commented as they walked out.

Sesshomaru darted a sideways glance, uncertain how he should proceed. How did she know that he was thinking about his own mother? Rin glanced back at him.

"Please, Sesshomaru. You can't believe that your mother got me abducted!", she insisted indignantly.

"We are just investigating", he acknowledged coldly.

"Why her? Are you following other leads as well?"

"I know of no other people who wanted you out of the castle more than her", he merely retorted.

"That's what you think…"

He glanced at his mate as she climbed on Ah Un. "Why are you so concerned about my mother? I know she mistreated you lately…"

Rin frowned. "It's because she thought I wanted to usurp her place and she absolutely wants a…pure-blooded successor. She even asked me today if being your mate meant that you were going to take a demon consort! "

He raised an eyebrow. "And what did you answer?"

"I lied!", she whispered.

"She didn't notice?"

"No."

"…Hmph…"

Rin's hands balled into fists. "I still think you are not looking at the right person…"

"Maybe so…if that is the case, nothing will happen to her. I do not mistreat the innocent, Rin…", he retorted, with wisps of annoyance.

She displayed awkwardness. "I know, I know…it's just that…" She wasn't sure she should say the rest. "I had my frictions with her but… get me abducted? Don't you think you see her worse than she truly is?"

Sesshomaru blinked twice as only answer. Again.

And so he didn't deny. Rin cleared her throat… "Sesshomaru…just…what is going on with your mother?"

"..."

"What makes you so untrusting of her?", Rin insisted. "Please talk to me! I…I just want to understand you."

"…"

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Has she done something to you?"

And then she felt air escape her lungs, the tension rise in the air, its weight now leaden. He glanced at her, and what she saw through his amber irises frightened her. Even when she spoke of Lady Amane, he didn't look so…

And then the bright sound of a flute and quiet drums distracted them, rumbling quietly. A troubadour was close.

Sesshomaru's trait retrieved their cold demeanour, all of a sudden, looking away in the direction of an orange dressed singer, surrounded by villagers.

"_Birds and butterflies…she tames...and riveting airs…she sings"_, chanted a melodic female voice with a cheerful tone.

"This…song…", he muttered, eyes slightly widening.

"What about it?", asked Rin with a frown.

"Come", he simply replied, going towards the crowd. Rin followed with Ah Un, intrigued.

" _Rivers and mountains she climbs… Rain and clouds she sweeps…"_, continued the melodic voice.

"She sings well…", murmured Rin as watched Sesshomaru suspiciously, but his smiling eyes told her there was more to it.

The singer smiled._ "But you'll never know…The next move she'll make…The bright beautiful girl…The Sun of the Western Lands…"_

"…Gods!", Rin whispered, as her vision became blurry.

"_It is impossible to explain how she did…With her rays so bright…How she melted everything…Even the coldest demon's heart…"_

She felt his thumb wipe the tears from her cheeks as she kept listening.

"_Faithful…the ward follows the daimyo…through the rivers and mountains…Yet who walks behind who now? It is him who follows her guiding light…_

And then the crowd sung as well. " _You_ _cannot control her_…_She goes her own way…The Sun of the Western Lands… East to West, through clearing and the seas…she shines…"_

And then many flutes sang as well, drums rumbled quietly, while a few dancers swayed around the singer, one white dressed man holding her waist and lifting her while she deployed her arms like graceful wings, mimicking a very familiar dance.

She landed gracefully, still holding hands with the man. She locked her arm with his.

"_Holding his arm tight…She walks alongside, hanging from the Sky…So let us cheer, the sun…and stars…All the brightest lights of the Western lands…So her sunshine may guide us till sunset…", _she finished with a dreamy smile and the crowd cheering.

"They sophisticated their show", Sesshomaru observed casually.

"You've seen this!?", exclaimed Rin, seething. He almost flinched at her tone. "You've seen this and you haven't told me?!"

"On my way to the Northern Borders…I thought it was pointless to say…", he explained, as he rose an eyebrow, a bit destabilized by her sudden outburst.

"I've wanted to hear this for like…forever!" Rin wiped a tear. "Kami…it was so beautiful! I can't believe it is us!"

Sesshomaru felt the corner of his lip twitch. "Well, it's mostly about you."

"It's crazy! How they make a song with me in it?!", Rin exclaimed, failing to control her effervescing emotions.

Sesshomaru grabbed his overwhelmed mate's hand and led her to the singer…

Simply called Aika, a dark haired hanyou who had quite a reputation for stealing some of the court's gossips and transforming them either into famous satires or grandiose tale. Now Rin couldn't help but smile, thinking it really made sense that it was a woman of mixed blood who had decided to make her the centerpiece of her show. She may have been surrounded by demons, but the way that hanyou was standing proudly among the crowd did give out that she had done this for a while…

However, her confidence faltered as she recognized the Lord of the Western Lands, face whitening.

"My-my lord…and…Lady Rin I suppose!", she exclaimed, bowing low. "It…is an honour…we…didn't expect you today…"

"We've had a hard time finding you…", Sesshomaru replied coldly. "You've made a lot of noise lately…"

The hanyou singer gulped, fearing her life was coming to an end. "Please, my inspirations are vague, I-I never meant…"

"Your song does not bother me", he cut her off, not wanting to hear her explanations. He had no reason to kill her anyway. "They say there is no better way to carry news than a song…", he thought out loud narrowing his eyes. He smirked with cold satisfaction. "You know Rin is my mate, now?"

The singer's face whitened. "Really?!"

"Yes", he confirmed. "And I want you to sing about it."

Rin gasped at that.

"My people…make them adore her. If you succeed, you will be dutifully rewarded", he continued.

And so Rin watched in bewilderment, with the clear confirmation Sesshomaru was seriously…preparing her to become much more than his mate. He truly wanted her at the highest…like in the song…

…

Rin stood on the dining table, crowds gathered around it with great interest, talking so excitedly. Of course …no one watched her with contempt now!

She had a fierce look in her eyes, as she waited for the last, but certainly not the least…ritual of the day.

They hadn't informed her yet of what she was supposed to do, but she had guessed by now that she will have to either drink or eat something…gross…But she didn't care. Sesshomaru often said that she had no sense of taste anyway. It will all go down like the rest…And she had a point to make. These stupid nobles…scoffing when she nursed her bird Tomen…she was going to show them how prissy they all were. She wasn't scared of one little demon rite!

Sesshomaru stood among the crowd, failing to conceal his concern. This tradition was meant for inuyoukais…not mortals. He remembered what had happened to his father's human mate. Inu Taisho had insisted that Izayoi try it during her brief moments on the Western Lands…and she had failed quite miserably...

Furthermore, Sesshomaru knew this involved one of the rare things Rin dared not eat…

"Rin…you don't have to do it. This comes from inane folklores…", he felt compelled to say. She had enough for one day…and the day before…and the entire week. There were limits to what she could withstand.

She shook her head, determined. "It doesn't matter, I will do it!"

"Yes, we will find out pretty soon now…", commented the Lady Mother, arms crossed hidden behind her long sleeves. "When you are ready, Rin…"

"This tradition is primitive", Sesshomaru protested with cool disdain.

The Lady Mother smiled coolly. "But this is the fate of every new virginal mates and consorts taken by inu demons! The old scriptures say this ritual is the best way to guide the deflowered maiden to womanhood…"

And to grant them fertility…his mother had so acutely left out…

"Enough talks, let's get this over with!", exclaimed Rin impatiently.

"Her resolve is heartening", commented Sasori with a satisfactory smile. "Bring the sacrifice!", she exclaimed solemnly.

The crowd silenced. Rin gasped as she saw what seemed to be…an elk demon get inside the dining room, tied and fighting fiercely against the guards pulling at the chain holding it in place.

"It is time now Sesshomaru!", exclaimed the Lady Mother imperiously. "With your bare hands you must!"

He glanced one last time at Rin. "So this truly has importance to you?", he wondered neutrally.

She was nervous, but nodded anyway. "Yes, please let's do it…"

He nodded back, and walked away…towards the elk demon...and cracked his knuckles. The demon crowd cheered.

Rin saw him raise his hand and then…splatters everywhere. Rin winced as he opened the elk's body, some entrails spilling out. She looked away, covering her eyes with her hands… feeling nauseous…she couldn't be nauseous before whatever she was going to do…Kami…what was she going to do!?

She couldn't control herself. She moved her fingers apart and opened an eye hesitantly. She saw him plunge a hand inside of the dead animal and pull at something. Her eye widened.

The heart that was. He cut the remaining veins hanging to it with his claws, detaching it from the body and walked back with the organ in his bloody hands.

Rin felt her own heartbeat and respiration quicken. She swore she saw the horrendous thing pulse a few times as Sesshomaru walked back towards her, white garbs all soiled and wet with blood, his hands the worst of all, she could see drips of crimson slid down his fingers.

Rin heard what she assumed was folkloric incantation, the voice was not unpleasant and the rhythm was a bit entrancing. She glanced at the source of singing and noticed surprisingly that it was the Lady Mother taking the lead. Shortly after, the other women in the room followed, as if this…_tradition_…was supposed to be known from everyone. Everyone…but Rin.

Sesshomaru stopped in front of her, holding the big…red…dripping organ in both of his hands, because it was too big to be held only with one. Rin gulped.

"They say the heart is the strongest muscle", he stated, matter-of-factly, glancing down at it.

"What am I supposed to do with it?", she asked with a trembling voice, even though she already knew…

He didn't answer. Instead he brought the organ at the level of his mouth and took a bite, Rin flinching in disgust as she saw more blood drip as his teeth pierced it and shredded the organ.

She watched him chew on his bite as if it was nothing. Rin's face whitened. She was unwell…

And then he held out the dripping organ to her, while her eyes widened.

"Already?!"

"I am only supposed to take the first bite", he explained.

How cruel…she gulped again and took it from his hand.

"Kami…it is still warm…", she thought out loud, feeling weak.

"No Kami will protect you now, Rin. You must do this on your own."

"I must eat it all?", she wondered with wide eyes.

"Yes…and keep it down", he specified, silently sympathizing. Even to him…eating crude heart meat was not the most pleasant thing.

Rin blinked a few times, suddenly regretting very much her previous determination. But it was too late to stop now…with her standing on top of the dining table with the majority of the court watching, and ladies voicing incantations in strange ancient tongue. Besides, Rin had nobles to humiliate. She had to do it. She had chosen a life among demons after all…It was the price to pay.

She brought it to the level of her lips, like Sesshomaru did just before. She closed her eyes…and thought hard…about melons, nashis…even better: daifukus…

She brought it closer to her lips. Sweet…delicious daifukus…

She bit at it, and screamed internally as she felt how tough the meat was. Strongest muscle…so that's what he meant!? That it was completely inedible! She tried to pull at it…pure hell…nothing was working, her teeth were unable to cut through…She opened her eyes and stared at it with disdain and fright.

"THE DEMON GAVE HER HIS HEART. EATING THE HEART SHE MUST. EATING THE HEART SHE MUST. EATING THE HEART SHE MUST…", she now heard the women cheer.

How was she going to do this?! She glanced up and saw amber eyes on her. He was watching…full of expectations.

He wanted her to succeed. To show she was worthy.

She didn't want to fail him.

And so…all of a sudden she had the idea to rotate the piece of hard…crude meat in her hands and spotted the place where he had bitten the organ, his sharp teeth had weakened it, pierced through, maybe that if she bit at the same spot...

She dove and tried another bite, now her teeth solidly clinging to it. She pulled…hard, using all the strength in her jaw, neck, and her two arms, pulled like a wild animal, and the piece finally shredded. She lost her balance and fell on the table, people yelling in bewilderment. Sesshomaru put his hands on the table, about to jump on it to retrieve Rin, but she rose before he could, plenty blood on her cheeks, but it wasn't hers. A bit stunned, she stood on her knees for the rest. She pushed on the piece of meat clinging to her teeth to make it enter her mouth, and grimaced instantly, strong taste of blood and hard meat, tendon-like texture of the biggest veins of the elk squishing under her teeth…making a squeaky noise as she chewed. At least her molars were strong enough to damage the meat.

Rin gulped the first bite, feeling already exhausted. It was absolutely sordid, but the women were still singing, and the men yelling, and Sesshomaru watching silently in front of her, stoic, silently wishing her to succeed. He would never voice it, but he wanted this as much as her.

The demon heart. She must eat the heart he gave her. Eat it all.

And so she took another bite, easier than the first, and a third, easier than the second, her mind growing numb as she did so, not bothering anymore with the leathery texture, warm gooey blood dripping down her chin and her wrists, or the strong iron-like taste in her mouth. It was a challenge, and she was doing it.

It was long, the organ was so incredibly big for her small stomach, still feeble from a week of sickness, but she kept pulling at the meat with her teeth. After a while she just stopped watching the organ, and stared right into her mate's eyes, unblinking amber more pleasant to look at than the red-brown atrocity she had to swallow. She was halfway through, now.

After a while, all of this seemed a routine, a simple task she had to attend to. She felt hypnotized by the singing, the yelling, and now hammering of numerous fists on the table, like entrancing drums, going at the same rhythm as her own heartbeat…just like the rhythms of the song on which they had danced a while back, under the contemptuous eyes of Lady Amane at the ball…the night he had kissed her for the first time. Pleasant memories…yes …The wedding… The night it had all started. His eyes were now a bit wider than usual. She was almost done.

And finally, came the last bite. Only then she noticed how her belly grumbled. How she felt nauseous, but she couldn't be sick. The meat felt even harder to chew, and the taste even filthier, but she ate it all, and swallowed, while hysterical clamour echoed through the vast dining room.

As soon as it got in, Rin felt her body convulse and she retched, falling on her side, putting a hand on her mouth, fighting against her body's reflexes: trying hard to swallow to avoid blood and meat to spill out of her body, the room now completely quiet and still.

She felt vibrations on the table. Sesshomaru had climbed on it. He took Rin gently by her shoulders and lifted her for proper inspection.

"Rin…are you okay?", he inquired, worriedly.

He hoped this hadn't killed her.

She opened her eyes and opened her mouth, to reveal her teeth all bloody…and an empty mouth.

She did it.

There was a very primitive form of satisfaction in his eyes. She saw.

He stood up on the table and held out his hand, to help her stand as well. He then lifted her hand at its highest to proclaim victory, his chest swelling with pride. The entire crowd cheered and roared. Rin was stunned for a brief moment, then roared back fiercely. Sesshomaru almost flinched. She was screaming bestially like a real inuyoukai would have been taught to act. How could she know what to do spontaneously?

As she feasted on her victory, face and arms all bloody, with everyone, even the Lady Mother, acknowledging her success, Rin then knew, that she had just entered into a new phase of her life.

…End of chapter…

A/N: Couldn't resist a parallel between Rin and Khaleesi ^^

And the sunshine nickname at the beginning, I really wasn't sure, I must have deleted and put it back in half a dozen times. Is that nickname corny, generally speaking? Oh well, I think I do have some corniness in me…

And what the hell is Sess hiding about his relation with his mother and his parents, generally speaking? Yeah, I am just teasing your curiosity. No I will not tell you now (muwahahaha!).

I know this chapter was lighter…and kind of…transitional, but you know, it felt relaxing to write! I was not in the mood for more drama right away.

And the next one…will be very interesting. If I may tease, there will be things some of you have been waiting for a while: that includes the exhibition of prospective consorts and…many other things ;) …Stay tuned!

Jj: You're welcome ;) Thanks for dropping by!

Guest: I bet her reaction wasn't what you expected! Thanks for review!

Gingersnaps: Your few words couldn't be clearer ;) Thanks for the review!

Sesshyrin4life: It was the point; surprise the hell out of everyone! I am glad you liked, I did spent a lot of time thinking hard to make sure not to make it another plain graphic scene: I think I've read too many of these around here…Thank you for the feedback :)

Guest2: I assume it is you who dropped 3 comments about Rin's status. I hope the few details I dropped in this chapter make Rin's status less confusing, but you might want to read back chapter 9 and 16 who provide a few details. Basically, paramour and mate are used as synonym terms in this story. I will drop more info later too, but I just don't want to disrupt the story with plain informative details. Thanks for dropping by!

Ana: Like in this chapter? ;) Thanks for dropping by.


	20. Skeletons

A/N: Thank you for the feedback, of course, as usual ;) Forgive my laziness in regards to answers though, unless you had questions or something particular I found relevant to answer to, I probably didn't answer. Doesn't mean I didn't appreciate it, I probably just have nothing smarter to say than "thanks" :)

Aside from that, I was told it's actually spring now…

*Looks by the window*

Yeah…of course…SPRING…with tulips and all that stuff…

*Looks by the window again*

Well actually I think the snowbanks have become shorter than me…oh wait…*looks again, snow starts to fall AGAIN…* Nope…false alert. *sigh*

Anyways…

Enjoy!

Chapter 20 : Skeletons

The kitsune demon watched carefully her opponent: wearing immaculate clothing, long legs covered with black hakamas, dark hair tied in a ponytail, hazel eyes, staring at her with such a level of concentration she looked hypnotized. The red head was pretty sure she could snap her fingers in front of her face, and the human wouldn't even blink.

Nozomi half smiled…Rin's eyes must be so dry right now…She should do a competition with Lord Sesshomaru. It would be funny to see who could stand unblinking for the longest period of time. Probably Sesshomaru-sama, but it would still be interesting to test…

The fox demon regained her focus and raised her bamboo sword in front of her in a diagonal position, trying to think about the smartest way to strike, but she started to lack imagination.

As it turns out, Rin wasn't the beginner they all thought she was. She had already wielded a sword before. That was obvious. Maybe not as long as this one, but she sure knew quite a lot of tactics to slice, thrust and push back a bow... That explained how she successfully killed lizard demons and resisted to three snakes long enough for Lord Sesshomaru to arrive when she was abducted.

In fact, Rin's only major flaw was her response to rear attacks. Rin was totally helpless to defend against those! Nozomi supposed it was because of her weak sense of smell and hearing, but that could be helped with a bit of concentration.

Nozomi was happy that her human companion was already so knowledgeable. However, it also meant there wasn't much left that she could teach her. Her weapons of choice were two daggers, so she wasn't the best to show Rin how to fight with the scary blade Sesshomaru-sama had given to her.

"What are you doing Nozomi?", inquired Rin, out of her trance.

"Yeah well…I was thinking…"

"If you keep going, I will fall asleep on my feet", the human retorted.

Nozomi scoffed. "If you are so smart, why don't you strike me instead?", she asked mischievously.

Rin blinked. "We didn't train for offensive blows."

"Now you're the one wasting time. Bring it on, heart-eater! Attack me!", exclaimed Nozomi, pulling out her tongue.

Rin frowned with annoyance. She hated to be called that. With both hands, she raised her wooden sword horizontally over her shoulder, made a few careful steps before quickening her pace. At the perfect distance, swung her sword in a swift arc, easily blocked by the kitsune who then raised her own weapon and tried to strike Rin with a quick slice at her left shoulder, but the human slid on the right side of the tatami, met the kitsune's blade, and rose her own weapon upside down, making Nozomi's weapon slide down next to Rin's hip, who then with a simple movement of her wrist made her blade fall on the kitsune's shoulder.

"OWW!"

"Oops!"

"You aren't supposed to hit me for real!", exclaimed the kitsune, while rubbing her shoulder.

"I know I know…Sorry!", Rin replied sheepishly. "I hope I didn't hurt you!"

The fox pulled her tongue. "Nah…I won't have scary bruises like you, don't worry."

"Too bad…I wouldn't mind if I made you one… just this once", replied Rin smugly.

"Well, I didn't make you any recently…right?", Nozomi inquired worriedly.

Rin lowered her weapon and wiped her sweaty brow. "Not in the past week…no…"

"Good…I may survive then…"

"Oh please…Nozomi…He got used to it, he won't scold you again", she replied with a playful grin.

"I highly doubt that! Anyway, let's go. Enough for today!", replied Nozomi with a sigh of exhaustion.

"And you're the demon…", Rin replied mockingly.

"Hey! I'm bad with swords, I told you that!", the kitsune replied indignantly.

"Of course I know…"

"Don't forget to talk to Lord Sesshomaru about hunting! I could sure teach you a few tricks on the field!"

"Are you sure it's about teaching me, or quenching your thirst for killing things?", Rin inquired doubtfully.

"Pfff! With the way you've tried to slice my head off for the past three weeks, I'm sure you can understand bloodthirst just fine!"

"Bloodthirst? Ewww no! I'm not a demon. I like to chase animals, but I don't enjoy the mess coming with it...I gladly leave that to someone else, when I can…"

"Yes you prefer to leave the splatters to Sesshomaru-sama, I got that", Nozomi replied with a wink. "Anyway, I think this is where we part ways…"

The fox made a friendly pat on Rin's shoulder. "See you later…Rin."

Rin's lips became a thin line; her friend's goodbyes suddenly reminding her what was to come. She couldn't believe that…event…was actually going to happen…

She waved at Nozomi and walked towards her chambers to find suitable clothes and get prepared for the rest of the day.

Training with Nozomi was not the only novelty in her life. Her daily routine had changed quite a lot since she had become Sesshomaru's mate. The first few days, she had been harassed with the seamstresses who took all her measurements and made her choose a ridiculous quantity of silks. Apparently, her already wonderful wardrobe wasn't good enough for her anymore. Rin honestly thought it was a waste of coins, but she didn't complain. She suspected Sesshomaru liked when she looked more wealthy and important than everyone else. They also started to tie her obi knots in more imposing and intricate fashions…to expose her status of taken woman.

Sesshomaru also made her pick a personal servant. She was called Ami, a juvenile hanyou girl, who barely spoke. She oddly reminded Rin of herself at a younger age, and so, she felt confident and comfortable with her. At first, Rin wasn't sure was she would do of a personal servant, but Ami was more useful than she had anticipated. Ami listened and fulfilled Rin's every need, from helping her to choose clothes when she didn't know what to wear, to chase her around the entire castle with hot meals many times a day, to remind her it was late when she spent too much time reading books about court's etiquette or some others that she had to read. She still had a few chapters to go through in her history book about the past Lords of the Western Lands…

However, since the past weeks had been so quiet, it meant they had to take care of boring tasks…

Most of her days, Rin had to meet up with a few vassals for tiring researches involving tons of paperworks. They had to evaluate the castle's and fief's inventories and needs, wildling population, budget for occasional events going on, the next one being some sort of hunting festival, which occurred at the end of the month of leaves, and so on.

Most of the time, they were split in two teams: one working on military or defensive issues: composed of Sesshomaru, Tatsumaki, Kireru and Hatsuno (the last one rarely present because he was busy with arrangements involving the new fleet). The other team, composed of the Lady Mother, Tenmaru, Nozomi and Rin was to take care of the domestic affairs, but Lady Sasori didn't attend very often these days, so Jaken was often there to help out. He didn't like it too much, though, he pretended that was "wench chores"…and then Sesshomaru's cousin would throw him pointy objects in response.

At first, Rin wasn't sure what to think of the fact that she barely saw Sesshomaru during these tiring tasks (which always took the biggest part of the day), but she quickly understood it was for the best. In the first few days after they had become mates, it had been extremely hard to focus during the meetings. He would glance at her all the time, while she would brush innocently her leg against his…he even replied with a hand on her thigh once…After which he had insisted he wanted to keep safe distances during work hours. It wasn't really wasn't much of an issue anyway, since they would see each other most nights.

Besides, spending a lot of time with Tenmaru and Nozomi during the day had its perks: though they had different personalities and bickered once in a while, both were united by a deep fondness for gossips, which allowed Rin to be entertained with juicy information about the members of the strategic council…

Rin had heard before that Tatsumaki was a flirt, but she never thought the vassal had slept with most men on the council. Formerly Hatsuno's mistress before she was promoted, "poor" Tenmaru attested he "had been banged" a few times shortly after her nomination. The ferocious wind demoness had even lured Kireru to her bed once, after his most unfortunate night of losses at a cho-han tournament, involving too much sake. Thereafter the fox demon swore never to gamble again…

Tenmaru and Kireru despised each other, Sesshomaru's cousin calling the fox demon "Lord Bootlicks" (and Rin heard later that Kireru considered Tenmaru the "worst craven of the Western Lands"). Kireru also wasn't fond of the Lady Mother; neither did Nozomi, who confessed finding Lord Sesshomaru less scary and unpredictable.

Rin did try to ask questions about the relation between Sesshomaru and his mother. Sadly, neither Tenmaru, nor Nozomi had soothed her cravings for answers, both of them very careful with any information about the Lord and the Lady of the Western Lands. Rin found that a bit infuriating. Since she had interrogated Sesshomaru on his suspicions about his mother (and that she had failed to get any answers), her curiosity had become effervescent and there was no way to stop it. Something at the back of her mind told her it wasn't just pointless familial bickering…

Part of her wanted to forget about this. If Sesshomaru didn't want to talk to her about it, she should just respect his will. After all, there were some things better left untold. Rin had her things she didn't want tot talk about too…for instance: the fact that she had cried senseless when she had announced to Kagome that she had chosen to stay with Sesshomaru. Only then, she realized that she was going to miss her human friends and life a lot. However, Sesshomaru didn't need to know about that. So she didn't need to learn his secrets…right?

Sadly, it was not so simple. Rin could be very stubborn (and extremely curious), and nothing could stop her when she had something in mind. Someday…she will find out…

Rin chased these thoughts away, as she kept walking towards the sleeping quarters, intent to find proper clothes and get a bath…

She slid the door of her chambers open. She breathed in the pleasant flowery fragrance, and then hurried to her wardrobe to find her brand new, intricate sunset colored Iro-tomesode with silver dragons at the bottom of it. After a while of rummaging through the silky fabrics, it struck her: she had left it in Sesshomaru's chambers!

As she got out of the closet she noticed the pretty bouquet of orange lilies on her bedside table, the source of the pleasant scent!

For some reason she had a sense of déjà vu…

She grinned mischievously and slid one of them behind her ear and walked out excitedly towards his chambers, sliding his door open without knocking, and noticed his boots at the entrance.

"Good morning!", she called cheerfully.

She didn't wait for an answer to pursue her chirping, while she paced towards his wardrobe. "You must be wondering what I am doing here? Actually, I think I left my dragon kimono in your things. I leave so many of my clothes with yours these days…" she got in the wardrobe, searching through it. "…Ah there it is! I knew it!" She got out, closed the door behind her, and then realized Shinsei was still at her hip, and so she walked towards the entrance to drop the sword there, to avoid forgetting it. "The training was really nice today. I think I am the one who bruised Nozomi this time, so you won't have to blame her for…" Then she stopped talking as she spotted Sesshomaru.

He was in a corner of the room, in a bath, that had apparently got carried there, resting his chin on his fist, eyes closed, seemingly lost in thoughts…or maybe he had even dozed off?

Apparently noticing her sudden silence, he opened his eyes to look at her. Though he was never the type to be very expressive, Rin sure knew by now what he looked like when he wasn't in a good mood. Eyes narrowed, corners of his lips turned down, tense jaw: he was grim-faced, more than usual.

Rin's eyes widened. "I'm I'm sorry, w-were you…Do you want me to leave you alone?"

He glanced at nothing in particular, clearly brooding about something unpleasant. "…No…You can keep going", he answered evasively.

"But you…"

"Please keep going", he prompted. "Where did you hit her?"

Rin blinked, understanding between the lines_…Please keep distracting me so I won't have to think about the unpleasant thoughts going through my mind.__.__._

"The shoulder", she replied, approaching him, noticing the steam coming out of the bath. He couldn't have been there for very long…

"And I suppose that you forgot that you aren't supposed to hit your partner while practicing?", he asked, with an eyebrow rising in suspicion.

"I was so excited to have a opening, I didn't think about that no…", Rin replied sheepishly, dipping a hand in the water.

"Hmph… Who would have thought two young women could be so violent towards each other?", he thought out loud with a tone half derisive, while examining her reaction.

Rin grinned playfully. "Passionate..."

"Passionate for bruises and high pitched screams, that is."

She punched him on the shoulder.

He raised an eyebrow. "What was that?", he inquired haughtily .

"A demonstration of my passion for bruises", she retorted smugly.

"It thought it was an affectionate caress on my arm."

Rin scoffed. "Oh it must be so fun to be so…invincible and perfect, right?" She started at the water longingly. "Can I join in?"

"Suit yourself", he replied placidly, trying not to stare too visibly while she untied her hair and stripped herself of her uniform. He liked to see her like this; she always looked so happy just after she finished training.

She was a sprightly warrior in the soul and she cherished her daily doses of violence. He found that very amusing.

She sighed as she got in, the hot water pleasant on her sore muscles. She closed her eyes.

"It's decided. I stay here all day", she stated with bliss.

"The water will get cold eventually."

"Not with you in it."

Her back was facing him but he was affirmative there was a mischievous smile on her lips.

"…Will you stay with me all day?", she asked innocently.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Don't make me say it."

None spoke, both knowing what they were talking about. Not naming it made it feel less real.

"You don't have to go", she replied. "Stay with me instead. "

"I can't do that, and you can't either."

She pouted. "Am I even supposed to attend?"

"Why not? You will get to make little bets with your friends. You will enjoy yourself…"

"A bunch of hot demonesses parading in front of you is not my vision of enjoying myself…"

"It will not last for long…"

Rin frowned suspiciously and quickly glanced back at him with soft splashing noises. "Are you actually begging me to come?"

His traits tensed a little. She grinned playfully. "Yes you are!"

He briefly closed his eyes in defeat. "I was counting on your presence to rinse my eyes at need…"

She giggled. "Rinse your eyes? Please…I am sure all these beautiful women must be pleasant to look at…"

"No."

"Oh come on!"

"Loose women are an eyesore", he insisted dryly, frowning.

"They're nobles! How could they be…"

"Each time they see my face, their silky garbs mysteriously slide down their shoulders to exhibit unbearable indecency…", he retorted while narrowing his eyes.

His reaction was so amusing, but she dared not show it anymore, he looked quite pissed off. "You must be exaggerating…"

"Come. You will see…"

"Fine! I humbly accept to sacrifice myself for visual and moral support when you can't stand the hot women anymore…", she replied, crossing her arms with a fake pout.

"Thank you", he whispered, apparently relieved.

"You have strange tastes, Sesshomaru-sama…Most men would like the light clothes…"

"I am not "most men". And drop the _sama_ …"

She smiled. "I'm sorry… It's gets confusing sometimes: honorifics during formal events, but none behind closed doors…"

"…A temporary bother …", he replied with a perfect mix of stoicism and smoothness as his arms encircled her waist and he dropped little kisses on one of her shoulder.

Butterflies flapped their wings happily in her belly, feeling reassured by his reminder. She leaned on him. "Thank you for the flowers, by the way", she whispered.

"…Hmph…". He paused for a while. A long while. "So you like them?", he inquired, stealing the one behind her ear to inspect it, eyes narrowing, his other arm tightening around her.

She grinned without glancing back. "Yes! You chose my favourite colour!"

"Did I?"

She nodded. "Of course. But I'm not surprised. You always have the best tastes!"

"Not this time. I didn't pick them."

She blinked. "Who did, then?"

"I have no idea."

…

Rin walked along the way, separating two packed crowds in what she assumed was the throne room.

It was wide, leaving loud echoes from all the member of the court, nobles and servants chit chatting. There was a lot of light emanating from the large windows, naked of all curtains, leaving nothing to conceal the guest from the daylight, but the weather being so foggy left the room with moderate lighting. A few stairs lead to two seats, tall and black with golden and silver linings, one slightly more intricate than the other.

In months in this place, Rin had never gotten in this place…not even during the wedding. It simply had never been used since she was there.

She assumed Sesshomaru must hate it. He was not the type who likes to sit on cushioned seats in front of a bunch of people all day…

"There she is! Quick, get out of the way!", whispered Nozomi excitedly.

Rin stopped in her tracks as she saw Tenmaru get out of his seat and pointed her a place. She narrowed her eyes as she inspected him. His hair was untied…why?

"There you go, flower girl!", he exclaimed flirtatiously.

Rin's eyes widened.

"We reserved you a seat!", exclaimed Nozomi. "Come, get in!"

"I need to stay close to the catwalk to watch the ladies", explained Tenmaru, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Don't you have a wife?", wondered Rin in one quick breath, as she sat in the middle.

He scoffed. "I have her benediction for fruitful recruiting of course!"

Rin eyed him questionably. "And what's the loose hair for?"

"A simple change in style."

"It's not to look like Sesshomaru, isn't it?", Rin prompted with mistrust.

Nozomi giggled. "He does that each time. He hopes the girls will mistake him for the Lord of the Western Lands during the break."

"I don't know what you are talking about", he replied smugly.

"You know…Sesshomaru did tie his hair today", Rin commented innocently.

"Oh the bastard…", Tenmaru muttered infuriatedly.

"Voila", observed the kitsune.

He huffed and glanced back in hope to spot fresh meat, while he tried to tie his hair distractedly.

"The first candidate is Lady Shika", announced Nozomi with a smirk. "I give her 5 minutes."

"Two", replied Tenmaru.

"Rin?", inquired the kitsune.

"I'd rather not bet for now…"

"Oh come on! Just drop a number already!", exclaimed Tenmaru indignantly.

Rin glanced at him and narrowed her eyes. Again.

He frowned and crossed his arms. "Okay what's with that face?"

She narrowed her eyes even more.

"What?!"

"Don't play innocent!", she whispered reproachfully.

"I'm never innocent, but you'll have to state the sin. I have no idea what you are talking about", he replied with slight annoyance.

She took a deep breath, and as she saw that neither Sesshomaru, nor Sasori were there yet…

"The flowers!", she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.

"What flowers?"

She opened in eyes, all confused. "What? It's not you?"

"What did I not do?"

"I received an orange bouquet…", she explained.

Bewilderment crossed his features. "What? You thought it was me?!"

"It's not Sesshomaru! And then I realized it was just like the one you've given me at my first meeting for your wedding! Orange lilies!"

"Yeah I remember that!", added Nozomi.

Bewilderment switched to horror. "What do you think I am? Mad?!", retorted Tenmaru.

"Well…"

"Suicidal?!"

Rin sighed. "Okay okay I get it…I'm sorry…"

"Gods! Who could it be?!", he pursued, not any calmer.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"

"I wonder who's the secret admirer…", wondered Nozomi with playfulness.

"Silly fox girl! Nobody would be crazy enough to give Rin flowers now! Someone wants me dead!", Tenmaru exclaimed dramatically.

"You're so self centered Tenmaru. It could also mean someone wants Rin dead, if we follow your logic…", she replied smugly.

"What? No…it makes no sense, Sesshomaru would never harm her…"

"But he would kill you?", wondered the kitsune.

"Of course he would! I know he secretly never stops searching for an excuse!"

"I think you are exaggerating Tenmaru", replied Rin with annoyance that quickly switched to bitterness. "It might just be someone who wants to seed doubt in Sesshomaru's mind before he meets with his pretty pretenders…"

"That's Lady Sasori's style", added Nozomi almost instantly. "That must be it."

"Oh shush…She has no time to waste with that. She has bigger problems these days…", replied Tenmaru.

"Ladies and gentlemen…welcome!", exclaimed the Lady Mother while she stood up from her throne, way too cheerfully for Rin's tastes. "Thank you all for coming. I shall not make you wait any further. Are you ready, son?"

Sesshomaru replied with a sideways glance and silent annoyance.

"Let's begin! Ladies, prove you are worthy of the West", she concluded with a wink.

Rin ground her teeth.

"I bet you're ripe for a good slap in her face", Tenmaru muttered.

Rin hid her giggles behind her hand, and didn't notice Sesshomaru staring at them…frostily…

…

A tall dark haired woman strolled elegantly towards them; with a kimono so long it licked the floor behind her. What was supposed to be a very intricate furisode hugged suggestively the shape of her bosom and hips, but Sesshomaru didn't notice.

The Lady Mother watched her son and his source of distraction, and repressed a scoff.

"What is it Sesshomaru…are you distracted by your mate's choice of company?"

He didn't answer. He saw no point. Rin's social life was none of his business…even if she befriended people with tasteless senses of humour.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder…Why did she enjoy his company so much these days? Tenmaru…the court jester…

The manwhore.

Sesshomaru miserably failed to repress a frown. He couldn't help it. That annoyed him…

"You know, these pretenders know a noblewoman cannot frolic with whoever she wants…", whispered the Lady Mother with wisps of self satisfaction. Then she hesitated. "Well…I suppose most of them would …"

Sesshomaru ignored Lady Shika's speech. "…I wouldn't denigrate Rin like this if I were you…Compared to all these women, she would be by far the most merciful in your regards."

Sasori hardly repressed a frown. "This again? I thought you had regained some of your senses lately…"

"No. As foolish as ever, dear mother…", he replied sarcastically.

"Do I need to remind you I did revive her in the past?"

"To you she was just a human appetizer back then."

"I can't believe it. Can't you see everything I ever did was to protect you?!"

"Protect me you say?", he inquired while raising an eyebrow. "So hiding correspondence from the lizard wildlings in your private quarters is your way to protect me?"

Her eyes widened for a brief moment. "Wh-what?!"

He turned his head towards the first woman who had stopped talking.

"Thank you Lady Shika. That was a endearing poem."

He wasn't even sure it was a poem she recited.

The woman dressed provocatively just smiled and bowed, so he supposed he had guessed right.

"You've searched my chambers?", whispered the Lady Mother with icy wrath, still looking in front of her. "How could you?!"

"I do what I must", he replied nonchalantly, while feigning interests toward the next pretender.

"It matters not. I have nothing to hide!"

"Nothing but many proofs that wildings were going to attack?"

"These papers don't mean anything."

"Then why did you judge necessary to hide them?"

"I didn't want the generals to panic and speculate!"

"Nonsense."

Lady Mother's lips became a thin line. "Why are so untrusting son? Why!?"

He gave her a sideways glance. "You know as much as I."

"Son…"

"I know you. More than anyone. And I know how far you would go to protect your own vision of what is right and wrong."

She turned her head and stared at him with perfect impassiveness.

"You are odious, Sesshomaru."

…

Rin stared boringly at Lady Arisu, a slight and delicate woman with yellow hair, looking quite snobbish dressed in magenta, yet her neck and shoulders were exposed. The Lady Mother tried to keep going with some small talk, but even her was unsmiling, while Sesshomaru stared into space, nodded at very strategic moments, giving off the impression he was not yet completely gone.

"It's really getting boring", sighed Nozomi.

"How long will it last?", wondered Rin wearily.

Then Sesshomaru glanced at her, apparently adamant "to rinse" his eyes. Rin smiled. It wasn't the first time he was doing this.

"Calm down ladies…the best material is always for the end…", warned Tenmaru.

"And when will that be?" asked Rin.

"Now", he replied, glancing back at the next pretender. "Gods!"

Rin stared in the same direction as him and her breath caught in her throat.

There stood a tall woman with jet-black hair and violet eyes, and purple lilacs in her bun, with a few cute freckles on her snow white skin and wavy curls on her brow giving her wisps of innocence. She wasn't the most voluptuous, but she still had a pleasant looking silhouette, the surprisingly long sleeves of her furisode giving her a queenly appeal.

There was no questioning. She was outstanding.

"Oh sheesh Tenmaru, control yourself!", whispered Nozomi reproachfully.

Only then Rin noticed he gawked at the woman so intensely with mouth half open it probably wouldn't take long before he starts to drool.

She walked so fluidly it was as if she was floating over the floor…a bit like the Lady Mother. Speaking of which, this one was smiling pleasantly, as her son did not stare at his mate anymore.

Rin's jaw tightened. She grinded her teeth and played nervously with her sleeves, green monster of jealousy emitting high pitched scream in the darkest part of her mind. It had been a while since she had to deal with her…jealous side…Last time it had shown up, she had almost bitten Lady Amane's hand under the impulse of it…

"Lady Takara, it is nice to see you", greeted the Lady Mother. "Purple is a beautiful colour on you."

Rin repressed a growl.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Sasori", she said with a soft voice, bowing slightly, curves of her tied hair bouncing pleasantly.

She sounded like a dove. Rin hated her.

The gorgeous pretender stared back at Sesshomaru and blushed innocently. "My lord, you are even more handsome than I could ever have imagined!"

Now Rin imagined herself in the training center. In front of the girl. Alone. With her beloved…sharp Shinsei.

"Takara, how is your father faring?", he inquired politely.

"Father?", wondered Rin.

"Yeah…She's Hatsuno's second child… more grown up than ever", Tenmaru replied, still ogling.

"She didn't look like that last time I saw her", whispered Nozomi, bewildered…and a bit hateful too.

Hatsuno's daughter. That was her?! Rin had imagined a simple childish girl when Nozomi had spoken of her. If Sesshomaru wasn't very interested while his vassal spoke of his daughter's limited hunting skills, she sure had all his attention now…

Rin looked away, feeling angry and sad. Why was he even looking at her? He wasn't supposed to…She was his dearest, not her!

She sighed, thinking that whatever was going to happen, she was certainly going to go sleep in her own room tonight.

"I am glad everything is going well with the fleet, and what was this instrument you could play again?", Sesshomaru wondered kindly.

"They're at 10 minutes now!", whispered Nozomi.

"Damn you Sesshomaru! Since when do you talk with the women? Let her go! Give her to me!", moaned Tenmaru.

Now Rin wanted to cry. She would rather fight a hundred snakes with the stony scales than bear this. She started to think about everything she wanted to tell him, but couldn't.

_She's pretty and she can play harp, but she's helpless with a knife... Do you really think this girl would stand eating a crude heart for you?_

They kept talking.

Rin frowned angrily. _Come on Sesshomaru…what are you doing? I can't bear it anymore!_

She swore she saw him dart a very brief sideways glance at her, but kept listening.

_I'll start to think you're not just acting anymore…_

Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "Takara. Talk to me about your fighting skills."

Rin gasped.

"It's not my line, my lord. I leave swordfight to the brave warriors…"

"A Lady of the West needs to be at ease on the battlefield, for you see, the Lord is sometimes away, as I was a month ago…My mother had to lead the armies. Must I take for granted you are unable to attend to such a task?", he inquired stoically.

Takara gulped. "I'm afraid so…"

He nodded. "I understand. Thank you, my lady."

She bowed and turned on her heel.

Rin sighed in relief as she watched her leave. As she looked back in front of her, she noticed Sesshomaru glancing at her with softened features, looking almost apologetic.

Green monster of jealousy hid back in its cave.

"Thank you", Rin mouthed soundlessly.

"SHIT"

Rin glanced back at Tenmaru. It was now Sesshomaru's turn to frown.

"What is it?"

"The next girl! "

Rin looked behind her, and saw another woman (already! She barely had the time to recover from the other one!). She had blue marine silky hair, and black hungry eyes, dressed in a silver and white dress, but she looked nothing innocent. She was lean and tall, malicious smile on her face, pouty lips taunting for a kiss. This one wasn't floating on the floor as she strutted confidently, her okobos clicking against the floor as she stared at Sesshomaru like a predator, as if she was going to climb on his seat and eat him all. Her entire being screamed of sins.

"I can't believe this!", exclaimed Tenmaru. "What is she doing here?!"

"Who is she?", asked Rin.

"…"

"Tenmaru…"

"I can't say! He'll kill me if I…"

"He slept with her before, is that it?", tried Rin suspiciously.

"…Oh crap…"

"I heard of her. She's one of Sesshomaru's former…ahem…lady-friend…", mumbled Nozomi.

Rin felt her blood freeze.

"You'll get killed fox-girl!", warned Tenmaru, while staring spitefully at the pretender walking past them.

"Why don't you stare at this one? She's pretty…", replied Rin, trying not to think about what she had just heard.

"I'll always remember our first encounter…I saw the chick first and bothered warming her up all evening, but she ended up straddling Sesshomaru instead, under the pretence I had everything she liked in a woman!", he whispered grudgingly.

Nozomi had to cover her mouth not to laugh out loud, while Rin's mind was imprisoned with an awful image of this wicked woman's legs around Sesshomaru's waist, sinful dark eyes winking at her arrogantly. And now Rin saw red again.

"Did he have many other _lady-friends_ like that?", wondered Rin with unsettling quietness.

Tenmaru couldn't hold on anymore. "He always got the hottest girls, without even trying! Because _mister_ likes to swing swords around… They were all over him and he always made his damn haughty face, like he was the one doing them a favour to have their curves right in front of his eyes!"

"Did you just say that?! Oh Tenmaru…you're the one who's dead now!", exclaimed Nozomi.

Then Tenmaru noticed Sesshomaru eyeing him with something close to bloodlust. He gulped.

"My lord", the pretender bowed curtly.

She winked. Rin shuddered.

"Sayuri…long time no see…", observed Sesshomaru indecipherably.

"The Lady Mother must really be desperate to invite Sesshomaru's former fuck buddies like that…", observed Tenmaru darkly.

"It's very surprising. She usually always goes for the most noble girls…", added Nozomi.

Rin frowned. Desperate…yes…Desperate to avoid a human on her seat, she supposed. Rin felt insulted.

"I've heard you are a model of social mobility", Sesshomaru commented, almost smugly.

"I have been promoted commander in chief of the southern peninsula. They call me Lady now", she replied, red lips turning up with a teasing smile.

"But you'll never really be one…you floozy", muttered Rin venomously, playing nervously with a strand of hair.

Tenmaru chuckled.

"Hey calm down Rin! They'll hear you!", warned Nozomi in a whisper.

"How many people do you command?", wondered Sesshomaru with genuine curiosity.

"Two hundred my lord…But really, I would give all that up to mount only one", the pretender replied flirtatiously.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, clearly offended, while a few people snickered in the room. Rin supposed his…thing with this woman was no big secret.

"I respect ambition, but your way to express it is as sickening as in my memories", he retorted curtly with a disdainful smirk. "Thank you…_Lady_ Sayuri"

She huffed and left, shooting a dirty look at Rin as she passed by. Rin glanced back at her condescendingly. Then as she glanced back in front of her, saw Sesshomaru examine her again, but she ignored him. She wasn't going to voice anything nice this time. To be truthful she was a little angry to learn that he, whom she heard criticize other people for indecent behaviour, wasn't pure as the driven snow either…

She was definitely going to sleep in her room tonight.

"Sooo who's gonna be the next one?", wondered Tenmaru excitedly, while glancing behind him.

Rin started to feel sick with all these women around. She just wanted to go hide in her apartments and pretend to be ill for a few days.

"What the hell? A dude?!"

"Oh shut up Tenmaru", retorted Kireru with annoyance, as he approached them. "Lady Rin, your assistance is required, would you please come with me…"

"Why don't you ask the Lady Mother?", wondered Tenmaru.

"She is busy, and Rin as Sesshomaru's mate is competent for the task anyway…"

"Let me pass Tenmaru", ordered Rin a bit dryly. "I have enough of this event anyway."

"O-okay!"

And so she left, not really caring what it was all about, and almost made the next contestant flinch with a glare as she walked out, under Sesshomaru and Sasori's curious frowns.

…

"What is it about Kireru?"

"We have an unexpected visitor who requires immediate attention", explained the fox demon.

"Why me?", asked Rin, echoing Tenmaru's question. "I know that the Lord is _busy_, but the Lady of the West might have been able to leave the room…"

"Sasori takes a lot of time to organise these shows and enjoys them…Besides, I trust you more for this task…"

Rin blinked. "Now you intrigue me…"

And then the reason stood before her. Rin's eyes widened.

"Lady…Miyah…"

The she-wolf leader of Kun'Ketsu curtly bowed. "Lady Rin. I am glad to see you safe and sound."

"Let me bring you to the study", suggested Kireru, leading the walk.

Then Rin smiled as she followed him. "O-of course, I am happy to see you too. This was…unexpected."

Lady Miyah smiled quietly. " I think I arrived at the worst possible moment now, did I?"

"No of course not. It's just that you haven't announced your visit. We would have prepared if we would have known…"

The hanyou darted a sideways glance. "I apologize for that. It wasn't possible for me to do so…"

"There we are", announced Kireru, opening the tall door.

Rin nodded nervously. "Please get in and have a seat Lady Miyah, I will be with you shortly. Would you like some tea after?"

The she-wolf nodded. "I wouldn't say no. Please take your time", she replied politely as she got in slowly.

Rin closed the door behind her and glanced at Kireru with fear.

"Now what?!", she asked.

He shrugged. "Well you know what to do…"

"No, not at all…I've never done this, greet guests on the behalf of the Western Lands!", Rin whispered with panic.

Kireru smiled heartedly. "It's not sorcery, Lady Rin. Both Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Sasori saw what happened earlier, it is only a matter of time before one of them find a way to excuse themselves and come see what is going on. Just keep her busy meanwhile, and let's hope it's not the Lady Mother who comes first…"

Rin gulped. "She is not fond of half breeds…"

Kireru gave her a knowing look. "I will stay here with the guards, I'll fetch the tea for you…"

She nodded, while a guard opened the door for her. "Thank you…"

Rin took a deep breath and got in, thinking back about Lady Miyah's unpredictable nature when they met, but now that they had a deal, she supposed the hanyou wasn't going to get into blunt interrogatories.

She saw the Lady of Kun'Ketsu at the table, one seat away from the Lady Mother's place, as if silently inviting Rin to take that forbidden place. It was silly, she couldn't possibly know how people were usually seated in this room. Rin smiled politely and sat in front of her instead.

"So You are Lord Sesshomaru's mate now, or so I heard…", started the she-wolf with great interest.

"Yes, since a few weeks…", added Rin with a nervous smile.

"I suppose these pure-bloods strutting around must be unpleasant to watch, then", she commented with sympathy.

Rin smiled. "Let's say your visit is a pleasant distraction!"

Lady Miyah smiled back. "You have changed a little since our last encounter…"

"How so?"

"Dragons on your dress. You look less like just a pretty girl and more like a ruler", she observed straightforwardly.

Rin briefly paused and decided to smile cheerfully. "So you like the dragons too? I thought the pattern was pleasant and different from the usual flowers we have around here."

"Yes, and it makes you look more imposing. Not that I hate lambs, but they usually get eaten when they are around fangs", Miyah retorted with a sly smile.

"I'm not worried. I heard eating humans was old fashioned now", replied Rin with a guarded expression.

"In these areas, yes…", replied Miyah with knowing eyes. "Say…this show with the demonesses…" She paused. "It is a show…right?"

Rin wasn't sure how to answer that. "It is quite a show to watch", she replied evasively.

The she-wolf smiled mysteriously, and inquired no further on the subject.

The maid entered with the teapot, cups and wagashis. Rin eyed the sweets realizing all these events teased her hunger. She thanked the servant and took the teapot and graciously served the hot brewage in the two cups. At least she knew how to do that. This tradition in human and demon territory was mostly same, except that doing it while sitting on chairs made it slightly trickier, but it didn't show.

"Though I appreciate the company, you must not be here only to speak of clothing and demon pretender Lady Miyah…"

"I need to see Lord Sesshomaru", she replied curtly.

"Why?"

The she-wolf sipped at her tea. "A message. But it is meant for his ears only…"

"Are you sure? ", asked Rin with a teasing smile.

Miyah smiled back heartedly. "Nice try, but I'll leave him the courtesy of making that choice for himself."

Rin nodded, back to seriousness. "I understand, I apologize."

"Don't. I would surely have done the same if I were you", she replied sympathetically.

Then the door opened, Rin glanced back and repressed a gulp when she saw the Lady Mother get in, her lemony eyes on the she-wolf.

Both Rin and Lady Miyah stood up and bowed…the last one without ever breaking eye contact with the dog demoness.

"Gypsy clothes, wolf ears, I suppose that makes you Lady Miyah of Kun'Ketsu", commented the Lady with an icy smile as she sat.

"Lady Sasori, you too have changed since our last encounter", the hanyou replied back with a smug smile.

"You've already met?", wondered Rin with surprise, while pouring a cup to the Lady Mother.

"I don't think so", Sasori replied a bit dryly.

"Only once. At your wedding my lady…Surely you must remember the few half breed guests!", Miyah replied jokingly.

Rin couldn't refrain a slight gasp.

The Lady Mother scoffed. "My wedding. It doesn't make you look young, Lady Miyah…"

"W-wait so you're the same age?", wondered Rin with surprise.

Miyah smiled. "Actually, I am more of Inu Taisho's age, so even Lady Sasori is a youngster compared to me."

"No way!", exclaimed Rin.

Sasori stared back at her with a sour look. "What, are you implying she looks younger than me?"

Rin blushed. "No not at all Sasori-sama! I have just…no way to know. You demons all look the same age to me."

Miyah smiled smugly. "That's because she's young."

"Very young indeed", added Sasori teasingly.

Rin grabbed a wagashi and took a sip of her cup, suddenly feeling insignificant.

"Enough chit-chat, I don't have all day. What are you here for, Lady Miyah?", said Sasori with quiet impassiveness.

Rin gulped, while the she-wolf smiled mysteriously. "Actually, I was passing by. I had a few spies to retrieve…"

The Lady Mother's lips became a thin line. "You are spying allies?"

"Of course not, my Lady. I've sent a team to the Central Lands more than a month back, but none of them came back on their own…"

Sasori frowned. "Well that's what happens with spies most of the time. We did catch and kill scouts from the Central Lands too after we've got attacked". She raised an eyebrow in sudden comprehension. "In fact they were talking about nonsense, such as the Western Lands becoming a nation of half breeds. I wonder if that may have been caused by your people…"

Miyah sipped her tea. "I don't see the link…", she replied evasively.

Sasori narrowed her eyes. "Of course you do. Your spies marched on our lands, is that correct?"

Then the door opened again, revealing the Lord of the Western Lands getting in, leaving Rin and Miyah standing up again.

Lady Miyah smiled. "Never two without three…"

Sesshomaru raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You look different too. With your hair tied, you are Lord Inu Taisho all over."

He didn't display much, not caring the least about such a shallow remark.

Sasori scoffed. "He becomes as handsome as his father as the years pass, but his temper never improved."

Miyah smiled mockingly "Oh he's still so young, Lady Sasori. Give him some time to get rid of his old juvenile habits!"

And then both ladies laughed out loud, leaving Rin bewildered by their jesting and Sesshomaru quite vexed as he walked towards them.

"You don't have to bow anymore", he whispered to Rin, while she served the tea.

She just nodded and avoided his gaze. He didn't like that very much.

"…What owes us the honour of your unannounced visit, Lady Miyah?", Sesshomaru wondered impassively.

"We were talking about spies getting killed", answered Sasori. "Did you know their spies from Kun'Ketsu walked on our lands?"

"I did give them the authorization", he replied elusively.

"Really?", Sasori scoffed. "And you thought the Central Land's attack was because you've refused to intervene on the human village down south?"

"It is very likely", he replied curtly.

"Oh please…finding spies is much more insulting than our negative response to Lady Amane's request, especially since she is aware of the Western Lands' positions on these issues…", retorted Sasori dryly, as she sipped her tea.

"Yes…I have to agree. Finding spies is quite a vector of hostility. They must have known you have helped to let us through, I am sorry for that…", admitted Miyah.

Rin sipped quietly her tea, watching them talk. All of this information about spies was interesting, but she did remember Miyah mentioning she had to talk with Sesshomaru in private. And she had been even more secret about her real intentions with Lady Sasori…

"You kept that from us, Sesshomaru. Easy to blame others, but you should look at yourself sometimes", added Sasori with mock.

He glared at her.

"Now now, that's a bit harsh with your beloved son, Lady Sasori", commented Miyah.

"Now if we could…", started Sesshomaru.

"Do you have children Lady Miyah?", Sasori interrupted.

The she-wolf smiled back and sipped her tea before answering. "I don't, my lady. I chose power instead."

The Lady Mother scoffed at that. "Then it means you don't know much about parenting."

"If you don't mind getting back to the main…", tried Sesshomaru again.

"If denigrating children in front of guests is an acceptable mean of communication…", interrupted Miyah. "…I'd rather not see what is going on in private", the she-wolf retorted quite bluntly.

Then as both women kept bickering on the issue, Rin took a huge bite of her pastry, watching for a while with bewilderment, then glanced at Sesshomaru, eyes narrowing dangerously at the two women, probably about the say or do something harsh. He was not one to be cut off just like that…especially not with trivial matters. She felt herself slowly start to panic, before hazel eyes landed on the teapot that had cooled down a bit. She took it in her hands, going against polite manners and served herself first, fine china innocently sliding from her fingers to land on her thighs upside down and crash on the floor in a million pieces.

"AAaAAAAAH!"

Everyone startled, Sesshomaru stood up and took Rin by the shoulders to make her stand up to examine her.

"Are you okay?", he asked with concern.

"What happened?", wondered Lady Miyah.

"Did you burn yourself?", added Sasori.

"No-no…I am okay. I am so sorry! I can be so clumsy!", Rin exclaimed, apologetic. Then she laughed. "But my kimono is ruined…I guess…I will need to get changed…"

"Go ahead, we're all here now, anyway", commented the Lady Mother.

Rin smiled sweetly and walked towards her. "I would like you to come, Sasori-sama."

The demoness raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You have a flawless sense of style. If you don't come I will spend hours wondering what to wear!", exclaimed Rin with a bit of a ditzy tone.

"I certainly wouldn't mind a break while you solve your womanly issues. I need to stretch my legs", Lady Miyah commented with weariness.

"Yes…why not…", Sesshomaru replied a bit aloofly.

Rin pulled on the Lady Mother's arm with a grin and both went off.

…

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?", wondered the Lady Mother with wisps of suspicion.

Rin stiffened, as she slid in a green and golden kimono and let a maid tie her obi. She thanked the servant after she was done and got out from behind the folding screen, and looked at the Lady Mother in the eyes.

"What if I did?", she inquired boldly.

She scoffed. "Will they make other reckless decisions in my back while I stay here?", Sasori counter attacked as the door was opened for them, but Rin closed it back.

"Your argument with Lady Miyah was embarrassing", whispered Rin.

"The dirty blooded she-wolf started it", Sasori replied stubbornly.

"If you wouldn't have been rude to Sesshomaru in the first place…"

"If that ungrateful insolent wouldn't make my existence a living hell, maybe I would leave him alone! I am even amazed he let me get out of the room with you!"

Rin looked away uneasily, knowing what the Lady Mother hinted to and not sure how she should answer that. "He's…under a lot of stress lately. You shouldn't…take that personally…", she mumbled.

Sasori's lips became a thin line. "Then, tell me, how should I take being treated like a traitor by the sole being who got out of my womb?"

"Behaving with hostility will certainly not help. I'm sure we'll sort this out and…"

"I don't even understand how you can cope with him…and defend him as such", the Lady Mother cut her off, crossing her arms.

Rin shook her head in irritation. "…I-I can't take it anymore! You are mother and son! Why do you have to be against each other like this all the time? Just…what is going on?!"

"This fool is so full of himself he doesn't even realize how much of a rash and mediocre ruler he is! He does everything he wants like the spoiled child he has always been…", Sasori replied bitterly, and then narrowed her eyes. "He takes me for a nuisance, but he doesn't realize all that I have done for him…It's certainly not his father who was going to acknowledge his birthright…"

Rin blinked in silent confusion. "Wh…what did you say?"

Sasori smiled darkly, looking suddenly aloof, as she walked towards the window, deep in thoughts. "Inu Taisho was displeased with the heir I've given him…He thought Sesshomaru was not worthy of being the Lord of the Western Lands."

That was an icy squall freezing Rin off. Breath got caught in her throat and stayed stuck there for a long while…

"He loathed our son's behaviour… He thought Sesshomaru was abnormally cold and violent like a wild beast" She scoffed. "But he didn't know what he was talking about. In fact, my late husband and my son have always been strangers to each other…. Inu Taisho was constantly involved in pointless battles… purposely away from us, I presume. So often in humans' company he forgot how demons are supposed to be. By the time he noticed the weight of his faults, it was already too late…" , she finished with wisps of anguish Rin had never heard in the Lady Mother's voice before.

"Too late for what?", asked Rin worriedly.

Sasori suddenly went back to her usual icy smile, and shrugging the issue off with her hand, like a fly in the way. "It matters not… Nobody cares. Men collect conquests and victories, while women bow the neck, bear children and vile criticism. That's what this life is all about. And this is the life you chose, too…but I suppose that bowing the neck to a demon or a human makes no difference, is that it?" A sinister smile crept on her lips. "It's funny…I would have thought human boys couldn't be as unbearable as my son…Are you sure you made the right choice, Rin?"

Rin didn't answer. Then again, she supposed it was pointless to answer. Love was not a reason the Lady Mother was willing to hear.

She was befuddled, silenced and dizzy. All along, she had thought Lady Sasori was the one Sesshomaru had the biggest problem with. Now she didn't know what to think anymore… Inu Taisho despised his son…that couldn't be! Yet…as she thought back of all the trials Sesshomaru went through with Tenseiga, only to leave off the most powerful techniques to his little brother, she couldn't help but think it was a harsh treatment of his father. But then again, he left him Tenseiga, and that allowed her to live…so she was left with very ambivalent feelings.

Rin suddenly needed air. She turned on her heel and opened the door, quietly walking out, the Lady Mother following her, but a guard quickly intercepted them.

"My Lady", he bowed. "We have an emergency. Master Kireru found relevant information about Rin's abduction…"

Sasori's eyes narrowed. "How interesting", she glanced back at her. "Why don't you come, little Rin? He can't accuse me of lying if you are a witness…"

Rin felt her heartbeat accelerate as she nodded.

…

Sesshomaru read the entire letter and then…read it all over again…as if trying to grasp something hidden between the lines, but nothing came out…

This message didn't make any sense…

"And why is it you who had to deliver this letter?"

"General Kazuo caught two of my spies, the only two who survived… and it was the condition to let them live", Lady Miyah explained quietly. "You have to admit his little scheme is brilliant…asking the hanyou leader of enemy islands to deliver his mail, Lady Amane will never trace that back to him…"

"Brilliant all you want, he mentions that he wishes to meet me and is already on his way…It is perilous and reckless of him to come on his own", observed Sesshomaru.

"This part is not written…", started Miyah with a low voice. "But he told me he intends to show up the day you will hold your audiences with your people, which is in three days…I believe…"

"Correct."

"He will come hidden under a hood, cane in hand and with a shaky walk. He will request coins for the monks of the East. He says then that it is up to your imagination to decide after that how you protect his cover in front of your court..."

Sesshomaru stared thoughtfully at the letter, thinking this Kazuo boy sure trusted him a lot. He was definitely reckless. "…This could be a ploy, the Central Lands are unpredictable these days…"

"It is complete chaos up North…"

"I know. "

"More than you can imagine. I've seen it myself. He probably wants to ask you help to fight the revolts…"

"Then why does he hide for a request Amane could have done herself?", Sesshomaru thought out loud.

"I have no idea. This request of his intrigues me too", observed the she-wolf with a slight smile. "He said that if he strikes the deal he wants with you, my troops and merchant will be free to roam on the Northwest…so you'll understand that I would love if you at least bother to hear what he has to say…"

"I will. I have nothing to lose…", observed Sesshomaru with a pensive frown. "Would you like to join?"

"What is the point, if I have no say on the outcome?"

"You are free to counsel…"

She frowned. "Hmm…and I certainly wouldn't mind the few days break. Your lands are quite wide I must say…I did walk a lot lately…"

"It's settled then."

"Yes", she said with a nod. "Actually, I am very curious. This Kazuo gave me the impression that he is a reasonable boy. I think he could be surprising…"

Sesshomaru frowned. General Kazuo did have tads of his sister's daring nature, but he looked quieter and more prone to friendly relations. And the inuyoukai did not forget that Kazuo's troops repelled the wildings threatening to cross the frontiers between the Western Lands and the North in good faith. Sesshomaru sure would have preferred to be informed of Kazuo's move before moving his own troops, but he couldn't criticize the boy for giving a hand. Still…maybe that had been a ruse to force him to move his armies and leave the Western castle unguarded. In any ways, if Kazuo was too daring or arrogant, he could always use him as a hostage. He was literally delivering himself on a silver platter…

"Ahem. Not that I mean to intrude your musings…but the Lady of the West and your mate have been gone for a while now…", observed Lady Miyah, holding her chin pensively.

He nodded. "I'll let my servants find you appropriate quarters for you and your men to rest."

"Thank you, my lord."

He left without further formalities, to find his mother and Rin. He inquired to a few servants, and all of them pointed towards the dungeons. Now he was curious, what were they doing here? He hoped nothing wrong had happened, or that his mother was not up to anything...

He went down the stairs hurriedly, and saw only one room at the end of the dark corridor with lights coming out of the cracks of the door. He pushed it open to find his mother, troubled-looking mate, vassal Kireru standing there, and an unknown man on his knees.

Lady Sasori greeted him with a scowl. "Sesshomaru…at last. Listen to what this man has to say…",

Kireru was tense, plain anger on his features, blade held at the throat of the captive. "Repeat.", he ordered.

"It is…it is a-all my fault…", stammered the prisoner.

"What is your fault?", inquired Sesshomaru, frowning.

"Your mate's abduction. It was master Tokage's doing. He wanted to abduct your mate and deliver her to Empress Amane…"

Sesshomaru's eyes slightly widened. "She has something to do with this?"

"No, not her personally. But master Tokage is one of her nomad subject. He wanted to be in her good graces. Knowing she had planned an attack against your castle, he paid me in exchange of information about your ward's comings and goings …"

Kireru pressed his blade against the prisoner's throat. "What else?"

"They asked for more recently…so they must have planned other attempts…"

"I caught him sending a letter to the lizards about Rin's whereabouts …more precisely, about her habit of training with Nozomi in the morning", explained Kireru, taking out a letter of his pocket.

Sesshomaru took it and read it all, his features displaying cold anger.

"You see now…How wrong you were…", commented Lady Sasori, narrowing her eyes.

Sesshomaru didn't answer. How could he deny that? Kireru had found the culprit by the mean of a letter he had intercepted, and the man confessed his sins. His mother had nothing to do with Rin's abduction. He had been wrong all along…

"Truthful answers could make me act mercifully…", started Sesshomaru, with lethal quietness, glancing down at the traitor. "Tell me…are you affiliated with anyone else in this castle?"

"No, my lord…"

"Is anyone else affiliated with the lizards in this castle, any other wildlings or the Central Lands, for that matter?"

The prisoner gulped. "I know of no one else, my lord. Please…I know nothing else than what I already told you…I beg you…I…"

"Silence", he cut him off, and then glanced at Rin. "You may not want to see this…"

She didn't insist and got out hurriedly, while Kireru followed closely and shut the door behind them.

Sesshomaru walked slowly towards the culprit, cracking his knuckles, his own shadow creeping over the traitor at his feet, now quivering in fear.

"M-my lord, I told you the truth. You said that you would show mercy…"

Sasori scoffed, while her son's traits were at their sternest. He wasn't looking at the prisoner anymore, but staring at the wall.

"Your relatives will be financially compensated for their loss of purveyor... Your own punishment was never left to questioning."

Sesshomaru took out his whip and caught the prisoner around the neck; strangling him, leaving the victim coughing and squirming in an attempt to get away, until bones cracked, his face becoming grey and all life left his body, soon limp on the floor.

It was a quick death…at least…

Sesshomaru knew who this servant was…and there was absolutely nothing pleasant about killing a peasant with mouths to feed. It was rare he really felt dirty after a kill.

The Lady Mother watched impassively the corpse at her feet, and glanced up at her son to find a mirror of her own coldness. She walked towards him, stopping a bit too close for his likings.

He supposed now that she will call him a fool and try to make him feel regretful for his false accusations… It also occurred to him that it would be an appropriate time for an apology, but he never had the time to voice such an unpleasant acknowledgement before she spoke up.

"Your father was right about your flawed judgement", she stated aloofly. "Time did not help. I should have listened to him while it was still time…"

"Listen to what exactly?"

She didn't smile for once. She looked almost…disappointed. "You know as much as I."

And with that she left him and closed the door behind her, poisonous words sinking viciously into his mind.

…

Rin was in her room, writing a letter to Kagome.

He apartments were a soothing refuge, with only the quiet sound of rain on the window panes. She had seen and heard so many…things today…she just wanted to enjoy the silence for a while. At least…no skeletons could get out of any cupboards, if no one spoke.

Someone opened the door, soundless footsteps coming in.

She knew it was him. She felt terrible thinking so…but she would have preferred to be left alone until the morning. They had spent most nights together in his apartments, since they had become mates, but tonight was one she wanted to stay and rest in her own things.

She noticed a shadow on her working space, but she kept writting, the candlelight allowing her to do so.

He stood there for a while, in an awkward silence, watching her write on the rice paper. But she kept going as if he wasn't there. She knew he probably didn't like it, but she couldn't help it. She was brooding over so many things; she just couldn't find the strength to give him the attention he requested.

However, she saw his shadow crouch next to her, and felt one hand caress her hair. She almost flinched as he brushed her cheek. His hand was so cold…

She finally turned her head towards him, noticing he had discarded his pelt and armour, hair now untied, a bit wet, covering the sides of his face, while his clothes clung to his shoulders.

She knew that most often than not, he discards his pelt when he retires for the night. Which meant that the lord was gone…to leave only _him_…

He held out an orange rose to her, without saying a word.

She felt her heart melt, and her lips turn in a soft smile, as she took it from his hands, delicately avoiding touching his fingers and noticed all the thorns were already gone, so she slid it behind her ear.

"It's lovely…", she whispered, and thereafter frowned in concern. "Wait…have you gotten outside in the pouring rain… just to get this flower?"

He didn't answer; he stood up and looked out of the window.

"I suppose you feigned clumsiness so Lady Miyah could deliver her message more easily?"

Rin smiled. "Sorry I couldn't find any other more…graceful way…"

"It doesn't matter. It worked. Thank you."

Nothing was said for a while, as Rin got back to her letter…

"…I didn't have the choice to be polite with Lady Takara. She is the daughter of my wealthiest vassal…", he continued.

Rin stopped writing, and darted him a sideways glance. "Well she sure was pretty. Probably the prettiest girl from the whole bunch…"

"Was she?", he wondered out loud, apparently oblivious. "You must certainly be aware who was the most beautiful in the room", he added all in smoothness.

Rin tried to hide her blush as she turned her head. He sure knew what she liked to hear…

"…And this Sayuri-girl is an old story…", he added.

Rin blinked, curiosity tingling her lips. "When did you…hum…"

"In the old days, I enjoyed wasting my time, some of it in the company of women. But I've grown bored of these games after my father passed away…"

"…You didn't love her, right?"

"Rin…please…", he retorted, slightly offended.

"Okay okay, it was a silly question", she admitted with a shy smile. "Why are you telling me all of this anyway?"

He paused a moment. "Because you are mad at me".

Rin's trait softened. "I'm not mad…", she whispered and grinned. "Well…if I was, I'm not anymore…"

He walked slowly towards her, giving her a hand to help her stand up, but she only smiled sadly, not taking it.

"I would rather stay here tonight…if you don't mind…", she said, glancing up to meet his eyes.

He blinked, looked at the floor and nodded. As she inspected his expression in the dim light, she thought there was something off about him.

"Rin…is your mind really at peace?", he asked out of the blue.

She felt her jaw tighten. She supposed there was something wrong about her too…

But no way she could tell him it was his own problems that kept her awake that night.

"It…it has nothing to do with the women…I…I would prefer not talk about it…" She smiled reassuringly. "I am okay…"

He nodded and turned on his heel, ready to leave. Rin frowned with concern.

"What about you? Are you…okay?"

"No", got out of his mouth before he could hold it back.

Rin stood up in one leap and walked to him before he could get away. "What's wrong?"

"My judgement.", he stated with a clipped tone.

She darted him knowing eyes, and caressed his shoulder in a comforting manner. "Everyone makes mistakes..."

"I am not everyone."

"That's silly…you're not a god or anything of the sort…"

He turned his head away in silent denial. "My father wouldn't have erred like this…"

Rin narrowed her eyes... "Sesshomaru…Did you get in a fight with your mother again?"

He didn't answer but she felt his shoulder tense. Rin had no idea if he already knew about what Lady Sasori had told her earlier, but if his mother had the brilliant idea to talk about these things as a way to get back at him, Rin had no difficulty to understand that even Sesshomaru could be shaken up. She knew he had an immense respect for his father…

"Angry people often say things they don't mean…", she thought relevant to remind.

"Things they don't mean to voice…", he corrected, then listened to the sound of rain for a while. "…Never mind. I'll you be.", he replied curtly, walking away.

"I think your father would be proud of you if he could see you today…"

His hand was on the handle but he didn't slide it open. "You don't know that…"

"I am not as ignorant as you think…"

He glanced back at her, icy smile spreading on his lips. "So my mother has talked to you about my _unworthiness_, is that it?"

Rin's breath caught in her throat, suddenly feeling as if she was walking on eggs, so she chose her words carefully. "It must be hard to bear…all these…expectations …"

His silence was long. "To them I am a disappointment."

"They said that?"

"Everything they said…I deserved it", he replied curtly.

Her hands balled into fist. "Now that's just unfair! No one is perfect. Your mother…criticizes everything you do! And your father…was he there when you needed him?"

Sesshomaru stared back at her and didn't answer.

"What gave them the right to treat you like this? Why did they send you away from your home like…"

"I killed a comrade and my sensei during training…", he replied as if he was talking of the weather.

Rin gasped and stopped breathing for a moment, and then closed her eyes, trying to recover from that phrase. "But…" She shook her head. "Wh-what?"

"I was sent away because my first kills were on innocent people, while I was still a child, and I couldn't care less", he rephrased, quite bluntly.

She stared at him with round eyes, as her mind registered the information.

…All this time…weeks of speculations…she kept thinking…or rather…she wanted to believe, he was the victim…of something…

Not the other way around.

"Y-you must have done it for reason…", she stammered.

"Nothing worth mentioning", was his dry answer.

She blinked and glanced down, playing with her sleeve with uneasiness. She knew who he was, of course…but she tended to forget, once in a while… She knew she couldn't. Lethal perfection was the meaning of his name… It was her duty to remember.

"I thought that demons had a different way to perceive killing…", she whispered with a guarded expression.

"It is expected from someone of my rank to control primal instincts. Children are not even supposed to have such impulses. But I behaved like a…wildling…at a very young age…", he explained while features turned into a scowl, then looked in the opposite direction, concealing his expression. "My father expected me to be remorseful, but I didn't even understand the source of his indignation. Afterwards, I was sent at the Western fortress with the warriors, because I was judged _unfit_ to live at court", the last words coming out with quiet bitterness.

He glanced at her, Rin grasping the hurt through the dim glow of his eyes, while her own vision became blurry. She wasn't sure what surprised her the most; between that story…or the regret she could feel lingering in his voice.

"They thought that learning with the most skilled fighters would help me differentiate what is a rightful kill from a wrong one, but it didn't. I merely learned to give warnings before taking a life... And my father kept seeing me as a being devoid of a soul…", he finished in a whisper.

Rin didn't talk. He took her tears for a demonstration of fear…or disappointment maybe?

She probably thought he was a monster.

"It…it must have been a terrible experience for you…", she mumbled, with a trembling voice.

He frowned in confusion. "I was a kid and I killed mercilessly. Shouldn't that upset you more than my feelings?"

She wiped a few tears "What I meant is that it must have been awful, for everyone... Including you. No parent should reject their child."

"…All of those who have heard this story before focused on the main issue", he insisted with a sideways glance full of scepticism.

She shook her head. "We've talked about that before..." She smiled sadly. "I know you killed gratuitously before, but it doesn't matter to me. The only way I've ever known you is with a good heart…"

"…Please…", he muttered, with slight exasperation. If love was blind…Rin was at her blindest.

"I would be dust and bones if it wouldn't be from you!", she retorted with indignation. "And I sure know that you did succeed where your father failed. Even Kagome talked to me about it in her last letter. She noticed that the prices of food and other supplies have dropped since the merchants of Kun'Ketsu started to use the highway. There are people, demons and humans alike, who won't die of starvation and others who will be able to afford expensive medicinal herbs, all because of you! Your deal protects the people of Kun'Ketsu and your own seas. And you did decide to spare the lives of humans crossing your borders, and gave them weapon to defend themselves while I am sure, many other demon lords would have killed them all…"

His traits softened, as he stared at the wooden grain of her door.

"You deserve some credits for Kun'Ketsu too…", he whispered.

"You are the one who asked me for help in the first place", she replied with a smile. "You should count the lives you saved, instead of those you have taken…that would give you a better idea of all the goodness there is in you."

He gave her a look, before glancing back at the door. "I…should not have bothered you with…_that_", he whispered, ill at ease. "I should go…"

He slid the door open, about to step out…

"You should stay", she whispered.

"I thought you wanted me to leave you be…"

"I just said I wanted to be in my things. I never said anything about you", she corrected with a slight smile. "So?"

He half opened his mouth, and closed it, apparently hesitant, but it could only be because his pride was in the way. Rin sure knew that all this regurgitation of old skeletons had strained him. He was wounded: it was all over his face. And she didn't want him to spend the night alone in this state...

Before he could make up his mind, she just closed the door and slowly removed the damp upper part of his garbs. He showed no resistance.

He closed his eyes as she wiped his skin damp from the cold rain with a towel full of her soothing sent.

"…I suppose I could stay a bit longer", was his barely audible whisper.

She slid her arms around his shoulder, and pressed her lips on his, wanting him to forget all the bad. He instantly confirmed how much he needed her, wrapping his arms around her back and locking lips, gladly accepting her suggestion of remedy.

"I shouldn't…", he whispered regretfully, as he broke the kiss.

"Shouldn't what?"

"Feed off of your kindness like this…"

"…You have every right to lean on me when you need it", she replied with a sincere smile.

Amber eyes inspected her from up close. "You've already given more than you are aware…"

"Same for you", she whispered back, as she brushed away silvery hair from his face. "There is nothing wrong with that…That's how it's meant to be…"

He let that pleasant thought reverberate in his mind for a while. He then took her hand in his, and led her to the bed, and pulled slowly on her obi to remove her first layer.

"What are you doing?", she asked playfully.

He pushed her shoulders delicately to make her lie down, as he lowered himself on her. He opened her hadajuban.

"My duty…"

She giggled softly. "Duty? You make it seem like…"

She never finished her sentence and took a deep breath instead, as his hands found their way on pleasurable parts.

"…I love you Rin", he let out in soft baritone notes to her ear.

She sighed in bliss, not even finding to strength to reply, all of his means of seduction making her mute with bewitchment.

For the first time, she gave herself to him in her own sheets, adamant to prove him no dark secrets could ever keep them apart, while he let himself sink in her pureness, forgetting all his sins.

…End of chapter…

A/N: My smart-ass self was unsatisfied with the fact this ends with bits of fluff/smut. It must be my second most frequent of way to end a chapter.

But then I thought…what da hell are they supposed to do in feudal times anyway?

Seriously?!

Besides, for those who may be curious, Shinsei (Rin's blade) means rebirth…according to online dictionaries anyway…

And for those who might think Sasori's and Sesshomaru's revelations about Inu Taisho and the killed sensei are mysterious and incomplete…yeah well, that's on purpose. But we'll get back more seriously to the main plot next chapter.

So now, why don't you leave a review? *puppy eyes *


	21. Rulers of the Shadow

A/N: Thank you all for the feedback for those who did, as always…but it is most cruel to stop only 5 away from 300!

Already Easter can you believe that?! Whatever…Holidays and chocolates have always been a nice combination…

…Enough small talk. Enjoy!

Note: since last update, I did some minor fixes; because some parts of the plot seemed so unclear it was getting close to plot holes. If you are a pointy reader and read it shortly after it came out, you might want to read it again, but if you are not that type of reader, don't even bother, you probably won't even see the differences.

Chapter 21: Rulers of the Shadow

The sun was bright and high in the sky. A little green and yellow bird was flying under the highest leaves of the forest, trying to draw the attention of the people below, but none paid attention. The lush and wild ceiling of green covering the azure horizon gave no clear cue of the sun reaching its zenith, as the human adventurer and her companion chitchatted pleasantly.

"I must say, I am quite impressed Lady Rin…", commented Kireru with a slight smile.

She grinned. "Oh come on! Just got two elks…There's nothing remarkable in that!"

"You have such severe standards. Many noble demonesses would have had worst struggles…"

"Well…I am not a demoness…"

"All the more reason to take the compliment", he replied with amusement. "We should get back now. Nozomi must be waiting for us up front…I think it is getting late."

Rin glanced up, trying to see the sky through the thick leaves, only then noticing Tomen making a fuss around the treetops. "Oh really? Time sure flies…Just…how late you think?"

"Close to noon, probably"

"Oh…o-okay", she mumbled.

She gulped, they had to get back, or else she will be late! She couldn't afford to be on this very important day…

They took the quickest route leading back to the castle, Rin suddenly walking very quickly around the pines, dry leaves and roots coming out of the path. The way she was holding firmly Shinsei revealed her nervousness.

"You shouldn't worry. You will do just fine", commented Kireru.

"Y-you think so?", she murmured.

He smiled reassuringly. "Of course. Lord Sesshomaru will be the one doing the talk anyway…Your role is minor."

"…the Lady Mother was not very happy when he told her…"

The fox demon frowned mysteriously. "… She just dislikes not being in control…"

Rin's eyes narrowed at that. What Kireru said made sense. She had many occasions to notice by now that the Lady Mother liked everything to be in place and spotless, any trace of imperfection unacceptable for her high standards…

She couldn't help but wonder if this could be one of the reasons why Lady Sasori and Sesshomaru were most often than not at each other's throat. Was it because she failed to control him like she would see fit?

Rin thought back at what Sesshomaru had told her three days past…about the reason why he lived a part of his youth mostly outside the castle, how he pretended he deserved every reproach, yet he did not explain the motivations that had lead him to rashness and violence…Also, Rin couldn't help but find curious that the Lady Mother had not talked about it, at least…it didn't look like it was the source of her reproach when they talked just before the same day…

Rin repressed a groan of frustration. She couldn't help but have the feeling there were many things she didn't know yet…

She glanced at her companion pensively, with a scheme crossing her mind.

"Kireru…", she whispered hesitantly, and then attacked him with her sweetest smile. "You are older than Sesshomaru, is that correct? Old enough to have seen him grow up at court?"

"Yes. Why?"

"How was he as a child?"

He blinked. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm…just curious. You see, from the moment I've seen his young portrait in the book of the lords of the western lands, I couldn't help but think he didn't look very happy…for a child", Rin answered with wisps of concern as she inspected the intricate markings on her blade.

He darted a suspicious sideways glance. "Well, you must know by now Lord Sesshomaru has never been the most expressive character. Even as a child, it was hard to guess his feelings and thoughts." He smiled nostalgically. "It changed nothing to the fact that he was…brilliant over his years. Also very quiet, he didn't seek a lot of companionship of the children of his age. He was fond of competitions though: he especially liked to win…anything to impress his father."

"Did Inu Taisho appreciate his efforts?"

Kireru frowned. "…The lord wasn't at the castle very often, but I think he would have preferred to have quality time and play with his young son when he could, instead of having a child prodigy… but Sesshomaru just wanted to learn more, and become stronger all the time…"

"You think that unnerved him?"

He shrugged. "Lord Taisho sure would have preferred that Sesshomaru lived his childhood to the fullest, instead of trying to rush things…"

Rin raised one eyebrow, very slowly. "Would you say he could have…loathed his son?"

Kireru chuckled. "Oh stop using so many detours. I know where you are going with this...". He glanced at her. "Are you curious about your blade's past life, Lady Rin?"

She blinked, and then eyes widened as realization struck her viciously. She looked at Shinsei, and back at her companion.

"You mean that…it's with this blade that he…"

"… I can only assume that Lord Sesshomaru entrusted it to you to give a silent warning to whoever might disapprove of your presence in this castle. This blade is so sharp even the most inoffensive being can do dreadful things with it…", the fox admitted with seriousness. He shook his head in silent regret. "Inu Taisho had just given this blade to his son when this happened…Taigi the sword was called back then…meaning _justice_…"

Rin frowned at the irony of it. She gulped and sheathed her blade. So that's why Sesshomaru had seemed so melancholic when he had given her the blade…He had to depart from it because of that…incident…

"Well…now that we are at it…Do you know why he it?"

Kireru remained quiet, while the rustling of leaves tried to whisper unspoken secrets. "Do you even ask the right question, Lady Rin? Shouldn't you ask if he has even done it?"

Rin gasped. "So you say that…"

"I am not saying much. In fact, only his mother and him know the truth. No one else was present when this happened." He paused for a moment. "All I know is that he was the one holding the crimson sword, and that he confessed doing it, but never accepted to give a full tale. His mother asked that he be judged mercifully, because of his young age and impressionable mind. And that is the official version of the story everyone remembers."

"Is there an officious one?"

"There are many officious versions. We know that Lady Sasori despised the sensei: Kachigo. He got suspected of being a traitor to the Western Lands before the events occurred. In the end, he wasn't, but his innocence has only been proved after his death…"

"Oh…kami…", whispered Rin, troubled.

Kireru continued. "The rest…I'm afraid, is only speculations. Some say young Sesshomaru was sent away in an attempt to discipline him, but other pretends it was because Inu Taisho did not trust his consort around their son. In fact, there are many version of the tales that blames her for what happened…some even say she's the one who dirtied her hands and let her son take the blame for her own sins."

A swift breeze made Rin shiver. "That would be terrible! That can't be true!"

"…I personally think the truth must be somewhere in between. Sesshomaru had his little temper, but he was not insane. If he truly did it, he must have been influenced…"

"By his mother?"

"…We'll never know for sure. Neither Lady Sasori nor Lord Sesshomaru have ever spoken of what happened in that room."

"At this point, I suppose people might not want to know…", continued Rin darkly.

"Exactly…You see, because Sesshomaru was only a child, most people believed he could be tamed with appropriate training, especially since he was the sole heir of a honourable legacy." His traits darkened. "However, rulers are expected to be just. If Lady Sasori would have killed an innocent sensei and his child based on rumours…her image would have been forever tarnished…"

Rin just blinked, feeling her head spin, all of a sudden. Could that be it? No …why would Sesshomaru blame himself for sins he wouldn't have committed? That didn't make sense…

"If curiosity consumes you too much, you are free to consult the archives…", Kireru added, with a discreet glance. "We hold archives of the court's important and miscellaneous events through history. Of course, you will not find more information about that incident that what I already told you. But I was told there were interesting things that happened the days before and after…", he replied mysteriously.

Rin eyed him suspiciously. "Will I be in trouble if I get in there?"

He darted her with knowing eyes "…I think neither Lord Sesshomaru, nor Lady Sasori would like to see you in there…"

She sighed in exasperation. "At least one thing they would agree on…"

Kireru chuckled. "You know how they both are... If you want my truthful opinion, their constant fights must be the only way they know to express that they care for each other."

…

Lemony eyes observed a pair of darker ones, with glints of suspicion. Amber eyes eyed back, unblinking, still, emotionless, in what seemed to be a fierce staring contest…

The Lady of the Western Lands tried to decrypt what was going through her son's mind, but as usual he was so…indecipherable… icy shield getting even thicker when he knew he was under watch…

Sesshomaru thought this was a silly game, but he was not willing to drop his gaze.

The Lady Mother darted her son of her icy smile, about to strike.

He remained stoic: ready to get this over with.

"Seriously, son. Why do you want to host the audiences by yourself? You usually leave me the honour of the task…"

"…Can't a lord care for his people once in a while?", he replied, while getting distracted by the crowd quickly filling the room up, and Jaken trying to discipline it with his irritating voice, or else there wasn't going to be enough place for everyone…

The Lord of the Western Lands decided to retreat a little, towards the corridors. He wasn't very fond of the typical noise and stench coming from the turbulent crowds. To his great displeasure, the official Lady followed him, like a predator tracking its prey…

However, there came a welcome distraction: Rin's maid, holding a bouquet of offending orange flowers passing by.

"Ami…", he called.

The servant kept walking hurriedly.

"Ami", he repeated more loudly.

She flinched, and turned back towards him, glancing at the floor, auburn hair hiding her face and part of her petite frame, as if she was guilty of something.

"Yes…my lord?"

"Where are you heading with these flowers?", he inquired casually, oblivious to his mother smirking.

"Rin's chambers…my lord…", she replied feebly.

He frowned all in seriousness. "It's the third day in a row she receives those. Tell me…who gives them to her?"

The maid glanced up and blinked in confusion. "I do."

He raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"I know Lady Rin likes their scent…", she replied with shy defensiveness. "Is there something wrong with it?"

His features softened. "…Of course not."

She stared at him awkwardly in response.

"You may resume your work", he said, as he got away. He leaned against the wall nonchalantly, looking out the window in front of him.

He noticed the ichiro bird perched on a branch, seemingly watching what was happening inside with its big black eyes…or rather…inspecting him?

…If Sesshomaru wouldn't know better, he would think that little bird was constantly searching either Rin, or him when Rin wasn't around…

Sasori spotted it too and looked at the bird spitefully before glancing back at him.

"Now that we are away…will you tell me the truth? Why the sudden dedication for your lordly responsibilities?" She frowned suspiciously. "Is it at your beloved mate's request?", she tried innocently. "You are trying to impress her?"

He repressed an urge to just...walk away, but that wouldn't work today…he knew…

"You are already informed of every truth you need to know…", he replied evasively.

She scoffed. "No I'm not. You always do things for a reason, and you haven't told me what it is this time!"

He blinked placidly, not caring to answer anymore…passive resistance his newfound strategy.

She narrowed her eyes. "Silence is the weapon of the guilty. This time, _you_ are the one who is up to something…"

He massaged his temples. "…Why don't you go be suspicious…elsewhere?"

And then, he heard quick footsteps of okobos clicking in their direction, meaning that his deliverance was near…In the blink of an eye, Rin stood in front of them, panting heavily. Her mane was slightly wavy, crowned with white sazankas. For once she wasn't smothered by powder, showing off her exotic sun kissed skin…a nice complement to the bright green of her clothes…She looked like a woodland fairy.

"You are late", observed Lady Sasori.

Rin bowed in apology. "…I know…We didn't see time pass!", she exclaimed as she was catching her breath.

The Lady Mother frowned with concern. "…What happened to your hair?"

The human blushed in embarrassment. "N-nothing! What's wrong with it?"

"Let us go", interrupted Sesshomaru with his usual impassiveness.

Rin held to upper arm as they walked towards the audience room. Sesshomaru could feel that her grip was firmer than usual.

"Is there something wrong with my look?", inquired Rin in a sheepish whisper.

…It has been a while since her last inquiry about her looks…

He almost smirked but instead made her blush briefly with a warm whisper to her ear. "Don't be silly. You are enchanting."

She grinned in glee. "I'm so sorry…I never meant to be late I…"

"Your timing is perfect. In fact, I appreciate that you make the sharks wait."

Rin giggled. "Sesshomaru-sama! I think you aren't supposed to call your subjects like that!", she whispered jokingly.

He smirked and brushed a strand of hair away of her cheek. "How was your hunting? Did you enjoy yourself?"

She grinned. "Yes!"

He nodded in silent satisfaction.

Worry invaded her features again. "Still…Are…you sure I should enter with you like…this?"

He darted a sideways glance at her. "Why not?"

"Well I am not the…", then she looked around. "the you-know-what!", she murmured with round eyes.

"Councillors are often asked to attend. I do not see why we should give you a different treatment", he replied innocently.

She smiled mischievously. "Do councillors come in the throne room…holding your arm like me?"

He closed his eyes. "Well no…", he admitted. "But I do not recall having other mates …"

She giggled and the ghost of a smile spread on his lips.

The tall oaken doors were opened for them. They entered the throne room, as the loud sounds of drum called for attention, making Rin startle.

"Here comes Lord Sesshomaru, son of Inu Taisho and his mate Rin of the Western Lands.", announced a herald solemnly.

Rin stopped breathing at that appellation. Everyone stared with awe, as the bright sun coming out of the windows illuminated them. They stepped forward. Now Rin's grip on Sesshomaru's arm was as strong as a cat demon clinging to a branch, in hopes to avoid a fall in an ice-cold river.

Seriously…her grip was so strong she made his arm go numb.

"Where should I sit?", Rin inquired in a whisper, silently praying not to trip. Her kimono was a bit long, and her okobos way too high…

"Next to me", he replied in a clipped tone, discreetly caressing her hand on his upper arm.

"But that's…the chair of the Lady of the West!"

"Today it's all yours", he replied with a sideways glance and hints of playfulness.

Rin frowned. Now he looked amused and it wasn't okay. She was scared to death!

"Wh-what am I supposed to do again?"

"You advise me at need and you chit chat pleasantly with the petitioners if you feel like it."

"Am I even competent to do this?"

"You have all the charm and kindness required for this task", he reassured all in smoothness. "Come now. Sit where you rightfully belong", he finished almost sounding teasing.

He enjoyed himself too much for his own good! Rin just gulped and sat on the black armchair with the golden ornaments next to his. And as simple as that, as she stared at the crowd…she suddenly felt like a queen. A scared one, though…

She did spot a few people…Nozomi and Lady Miyah smiling reassuringly, Tenmaru waving like an idiot (Sesshomaru's vocabulary was contagious) and the Lady Mother not very far, standing at the back of the room with her dreadful…icy smile…watching her…staring at her…either disapproving her choice of hairstyle…

…or silently growling for her seat…

Sesshomaru nodded as a cue to begin.

"May the first applicant step forward!", called the herald.

"May the fun begin…", Sesshomaru mumbled with sinister features.

Rin had to repress a nervous laugh.

The first petitioners were a group of young men, looking slightly arrogant, all muscular with tattoos on their forearms. Rin thought it was not appropriate for the court at all…but she tried not to be distracted by any shallow perceptions.

The tallest of them bowed and cleared his throat. "Greetings my lord…and the new lady of the West", he said, pretending nobility.

Sesshomaru remained expressionless and Rin smiled wildly in response, trying very very hard not to look at the Lady Mother's reaction!

"My associates and I have launched a new weaponry company. The Bloody Axe Brothers they call us…"

Sesshomaru didn't answer and just stared at him straight in the eyes, unblinking. That seemed to catch the talker off guard: he wiped his brow, already losing his confidence…Rin felt sorry for the poor man.

"We…ahem…we've been working on this new prototype, a poisonous axe, and we thought this could interest you, my lord…"

The Lord of the Western Lands rested his chin on his fist. "How so?"

"With all the snakes around, your army could certainly use…"

"So you've come here to sell your weapons?", Sesshomaru cut him off.

"No. We hum…need funds to keep working on our project", continued the petitioner, while scratching the back of his head.

"You have no weapon yet?", Sesshomaru interrupted with slight impatience.

The man looked at his feet awkwardly. "Ahem…no my lord…"

"I see…", and then he paused and raised his chin in a haughty way that made the petitioner even more uneasy. "Are you at least aware that we have weapons to slay the snakes already?"

"Huh…"

"And these creatures are immune to many types of poison. If you want to use that against them, you have to master the art of venom very well…", Sesshomaru continued, matter-of-factly.

Panic crossed the petitioner's eyes. "W-well of course we know m-my lord…we know that…"

No they had no idea. It was obvious. Rin felt definitely sorry for them.

Sesshomaru looked away in frustration. "…I have no interest for half thought prototypes… Now get out of my sight if you wish to keep your heads."

They all gulped and left swiftly… almost running for their lives…

"Next applicant!", shouted the herald.

Rin noticed in her peripheral vision how Sesshomaru's shoulders tensed slightly, for no apparent reason, and then he seemed to relax when they saw a group of slim warriors, all masked and dressed in black got in, walking in perfect coordination. There was only one man, with four women following.

Rin thought their suits looked a bit like Sango's. She wondered if they could actually be humans.

The man, who had the mask of a cat stepped forward.

"My lord…", he said with a muffled voice as he bowed, and then glanced up, showing pale brown eyes. "…and new mate of the West…"

Rin smiled…liking that appellation.

"…Lady Rin, I am curious to know your opinion about the wildlings of the Central Lands…", he started.

She blinked with surprise and glanced at Sesshomaru, not sure if she should even answer, but he just nodded.

"I suppose it's safe to say no one around here likes them very much", she replied, with a guarded expression. "Why do you ask?"

"What did they do to human villages I wonder?", he replied, holding his chin in fake curiosity.

She gulped. She saw Kohaku: his pale face and blood, felt his cold kiss and saw his body fall in the grass. Kaede's arrow in her chest. Her coughing. Her inhumation. Rin felt uneasy, she shook her head in hopes to chase the bad memories away.

"They break lives and families. They've raided entire villages…"

"Yes… sad tales…"

"Get to the point, ninja", intervened Sesshomaru in a rush of impatience.

"Barbarians have destroyed human and demon lives, but we saved many, my lord, and so, we thought relevant to offer you our services", straightforwardly said the dark dressed man. "We succeeded finding snake nests before they could eat human children. We have special informers from the Heartlands, so we can prevent attacks before they actually occur…"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "What are you? Spies?"

"Informers and bounty hunters…at your service", he replied, and they all kneeled.

Sesshomaru looked out of one of the faraway window to stare at cotton clouds. "You are not exactly discreet for spies", he observed boringly. "Promoting your services as such in front of my entire court? If I didn't pay attention, I could have mistaken you for troubadours…"

A few people snickered. The ninjas stood up.

"They say daylight is the best cover, my lord…", replied the masked man.

Sesshomaru smirked. "You of all people shouldn't take that saying literally…"

"You don't understand our strategy my lord…"

Amber eyes closed. "I am afraid I don't have that time to spare. Thank you…ninjas…", he retorted icily.

Then the masked men just threw something on the floor. POOF! Light, smoke, a few screams…and they were gone…

Rin blinked. "Well…they have a good sense of show".

"Hmph…court jesters", Sesshomaru muttered.

"Next applicant!", called the herald.

And then stepped forward an old demon with an arched back, long white whiskers and a yellow cape, bowing low. Rin thought he looked slightly like Totosai.

She heard Sesshomaru sigh. He was a little impatient today…Well it was true there were a lot of charlatans until now…

"My lady, you are ravishing…", the old man started with a weak voice. "…like a flower bud newly bloomed…"

"Thank you", she voiced with a sweet smile.

"My lord…it is such an honour to come forward and petition in front of you…", continued the old man with a sugary tone.

"Lie…", mumbled Sesshomaru, lower part of his face resting on his hand, while the man kept talking.

"What?", whispered Rin.

"He is not happy to see me…he knows he is wasting his time…", he replied in a low voice only Rin could hear.

"…Audiences hosted by the Lord are a rarity everyone seeks…", the old geezer continued.

"…Hmph."

"How do you know he's not sincere?", wondered Rin as discreetly as she could.

"He comes here all the time, pestering us with his endless request about some…temples needing reparations for his faithful followers and…", Sesshomaru paused, displaying such a high level of boredom and exasperation it was almost laughable. "…needs our sympathy and money… blah blah blah…and he finishes with some religious nonsense…It is as if he is too senile to remember the answer we give him every time…"

"Why do you always refuse him?", she inquired innocently.

"I despise pious requests", he replied in a growl.

There was a twitch at the corner of her lips. "Well maybe giving the money would be worth the time saved hearing his speech learned by heart…"

He darted a sceptical gaze. "Now that would be waste of coins. And this doesn't guarantee he won't come back for more…"

Rin shrugged. "Well give him only once, and chastises him if he ever shows up again …"

Sesshomaru frowned and held his chin thoughtfully.

"…and for this my lord, we beg you to grant us your sympathy and generosity, so our faithful followers may pray again…"

Sesshomaru rested his chin on his fist. "Thank you for this…", he paused, looking to his right. "… for this…usual speech, priest. I am very curious as to what gives you the determination to come here for…at least the hundredth time with the same request…", he finished, tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Faith, my lord…", the old man replied instantly.

_Fanaticism, rather…_ Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "…I shall give you the coins you ask."

The old man fell to his knees. "Thank you, thank you my lord! Thank you a hundred times! May the goddess of gratitude bless you for the century to come!"

"I have no need for your devout nonsense. My mate merely suggested rewarding your perseverance. Now leave my sight and don't come back", Sesshomaru retorted icily.

"May the mate be blessed as well, then!", shouted the old man as he got away, stepping back with a series of quick bows.

Rin tried to hide her surprise. Why did he mention her…and embellished the tale so much? She noticed that most people looked amused…except maybe for the Lady Mother. From the tightness of her lips, Rin could guess that she disagreed very much with this choice. Maybe she wasn't pious either…

"Next applicant!", called the herald.

Rin gasped in glee. A group of young children stepped forward with an austere looking lady with a tight bun, walking towards them.

Sesshomaru nodded first, this time. "Lady Shizumi. It has been a while…", he observed stoically.

Rin noticed he sounded warmer than with the other petitioners.

The lady nodded and bowed. "Yes my lord…We did find other means of funding, but I am afraid we need your generosity one more time…"

"What is it this time?"

"We need to enlarge our orphanage, we have many newcomers, as you can see…", Lady Shizumi replied with a small smile.

"I made a dwawing!", exclaimed one of the little boy as he waved a piece of paper over him. Then he ran towards the thrones.

"Kizu! No!", exclaimed the matron with embarrassment, with guards running after the little boy.

"Don't bother. Leave him be", replied Sesshomaru peacefully, as he stood up and walked towards the child.

The little one hopped excitedly as he caught up with the Lord of the Western Lands, who kneeled to be at the child's level.

"Look what I made misterr lord! Dis fow Madam Flower!"

Sesshomaru's lip corner twitched, as he took a moment to look at the drawing. Rin used every once of self-control to stay on her seat. She had been warned that she was never supposed to move from there.

"Interesting…I think you should show it to Madam Flower yourself", the Lord of the Western Lands suggested, as he stood up.

The little boy didn't wait a second more to run towards Rin who stretched out her arms to catch the little invader, but he never jumped like she expected. Instead, he looked a bit shy as he approached her, as if remembering all of a sudden that he should be self-conscious at court.

"Hello Kizu! So, will you show see the drawing?", she asked with a sweet smile, deciding to stretch out a bit more to take him and make him sit on her lap.

Then the boy gave the piece of paper to her shyly, while avoiding her gaze.

Rin gasped. "It's so pretty!", she exclaimed with a melodic tone, as she stared at a representation of herself with ridiculously long legs, small body and hands with four fingers. "I even have daisies in my hair! It is perfect!", she added cheerfully.

"Th-thank you…", he stammered.

Rin grinned and gave a peck on the boy's blushing cheek, which provoked an exuberant «Aaaaaawww!» from the crowd.

Then Rin noticed Sesshomaru was just next to her, staring with a curiosity that made her blush, but she didn't know why. He took the little boy in his arms, and brought him back to his matron.

"Hum thank you my lord…", said Lady Shizumi apologetically. "What I was saying is that we will need funds for renovations…"

"And play-swords…this one is too small for him", Sesshomaru added as he spotted the one hanging on the boy's back. "Yes, Lady Shizumi. 10 000 coins for your renovations"

Rin heard a few exclamations from the audience.

The lady bowed. "You are most generous, my lord…"

Sesshomaru nodded and went back to his seat, with Rin smiling sweetly at him.

"…That's a big sum", she observed in a whisper.

He shrugged. "It is hard to refuse her. She always bring her army of little ones to woo the court…", he rationalized.

"Oh shush…you have a soft spot for kids. Don't deny it", she replied with a wink.

He darted a sideways glance and spoke no more.

"Next applicant!", called the herald.

Rin noticed that Sesshomaru almost instantly tensed up as a cloaked silhouette with an uneven walk limped forward. There was no way to know how old was the person, Rin could only guess that he was a man and quite lean, by his height and the shape of the shoulders.

"…My lord…", started a raspy voice. "I shall be brief…"

"Go ahead", prompted Sesshomaru with a frown.

"I saw earlier that you could be generous with the pious ones…Hear my plea. The monks of the East need your aid for sacred weaponry and incense…"

Sesshomaru leaned his head on the side. "For the monks of the East, you say?"

The cloaked man nodded. "Y-yes…"

Sesshomaru smirked sinisterly. "So you dared showing up here?"

The cloaked men tensed. "P-pardon?"

"I know who you are. I know what you do…", Sesshomaru spat back. He raised his hand. "Seize him", he ordered icily.

"N-no my lord! Please!", exclaimed the cloaked figure.

"You monks of the East are charlatans and thieves. My mate hates bandits, and so do I. Be certain that I will take care of you personally", retorted Sesshomaru with a sadist smile.

The cloaked figure looked down in defeat and let himself be escorted by the guards, under the stares of the whispering crowd.

Rin blinked in confusion, trying to process what had just happened, and glanced back at Sesshomaru with uneasiness.

"Wh-what was that?!", she couldn't help but ask with round eyes.

He looked at her with suspect quietness. "With a bit of luck, that will stop the pious requests for today", he explained, almost innocently.

Rin's eyes widened.

"I told you I hate those", he added with a sideways glance.

She took note not to pray in front of him...

Ever again.

"Ahem…huh…next applicant!", called the herald.

Then two people stepped forward. The first one a sturdy looking young man, with short greyish brown hair with black tips, and piercing jade eyes. Though Rin had no idea, he pretty much looked like a lynx demon. Next to him was a tall and beautiful woman –human–, wearing wide garbs. Both bowed even before anything else, with the crowds gasping in bewilderment again.

"…This can't be…", whispered Sesshomaru.

Rin glanced at him and noticed his eyes with slightly widened.

"My lord…my lady…", called the man.

Sesshomaru stood up, with tense features. "What do you want?"

"We come in peace…", continued the man. "We only wish to talk…You must have expected we would come eventually", added the man, with a mischievous smile.

The Lord of the Western Lands massaged his temples in frustration. "Audiences are over", he announced dryly.

Nobody moved.

"You heard the lord! Now get out!", croaked Jaken. "Get out! GET OUT!"

All the subjects stood up and started moving around hurriedly, with the guards showing them the exit and Jaken chasing them away with his screeching voice. Rin stared at everyone leaving, not understanding at all what was going on.

After only a brief moment, the crowds had all gotten out, leaving only the two anonymous guests, the Lady Mother and Lady Miyah.

Sesshomaru finally stood up, with Rin following…finding his steps slow as if he silently dreaded the people in front of him.

"Lord Sesshomaru…", bowed the man again.

"General Yuudai…am I correct?", replied Sesshomaru. He raised an eyebrow. "Or is it Lord Yuudai now?"

The man passed a hand in his hair with overconfidence. "Depends who I talk to…but I guess general can do…"

"Hmph."

"General seems just. The Northern Lands are far from yours yet…", observed the Lady Mother impassively.

Rin's eyes widened. "So you are rebels from the North?", she inquired.

"You can call us that", replied Yuudai with a sly smile. He glanced at Sesshomaru. "It was quite a show you gave for our friend earlier…"

The Lord of the Western Lands narrowed his eyes.

"What? What is the meaning of this, son?", wondered the Lady Mother icily.

"Don't trouble yourself my lord…the general had planned all of this. We were meant to all meet at the same time under your roof", the lynx replied with a smirk. "But I think the best would be to do it with a full stomach. I think Kazuo would agree if he can hear us from the dungeons", Yuudai added with a sneer.

Sesshomaru remained perfectly expressionless…but Rin could feel his aura boil.

…

She inspected her reflection in the mirror as the maids and seamstresses worked hard to prepare her for the night.

Rin didn't get away from the powder this time, but they respected her wish to keep it light and put more emphasis on her eyes and lips. She was dressed with a deep red furisode with golden and white sunbird patterns; some of them perched on flowers on her sleeves and the lower part of her skirts. The fabric was thicker than what she was used to. It was a bit hard to wear, but it was worth it. It was as if it was made to fit with her ruby pendant…

Her hair was tied in an intricate shaped bun with red and yellow flowers in it. She smiled at the work of art; they succeeded doing something very noble, but that still respected her style. She felt at ease looking like this.

She got out of her apartments with a content smile on her face and noticed everyone were already there. The Lord and Lady of the Western Lands, talking as if they were discreetly fighting again. Rin noticed that both were dressed in black: Sesshomaru's garbs had golden on his collar and on the flame-shaped decorations on his shoulder. She admired him silently: it had been a while since the last time he had graced her with a pleasant sight of him in dark colours.

The Lady Mother had a matching black kurotomesode making her look royal, but austere as well. Rin thought it must be one of the first times she saw her wear something without any trace of purple.

And then Rin spotted Tenmaru talking to Lady Miyah. He was dressed also quite elegantly in dark blue, while Lady Miyah…looked the same as usual, not caring the least about the noble superficialities. Her turquoise eye spotted her.

"Speaking of the devil…", she commented with a slight smile.

"Wh-what? What about me?", Rin replied self-cautiously.

"We were talking about your little show earlier", explained Tenmaru with a sly smile.

"What are you talking about?", wondered Rin, while raising an eyebrow.

"The crowds swooned over you, sweet Rin! Your setups with the crazy monk and the kids…it was brilliant", Tenmaru commented mischievously.

Rin blinked and shook her head. "There was no setup…"

Sesshomaru's cousin scoffed.

"I told you they were not faking", commented Lady Miyah with knowing eyes.

"Faking what?", intruded the baritone voice of Sesshomaru.

"Charisma", replied the she-wolf.

He raised slightly his upper arm, until Rin held it, and they moved forward in the corridor. "Of course Rin doesn't fake. As charming as the legendary Lady Reika…"

"Please…", sighed Rin.

Not that again.

"Lady Reika who's that?", wondered Tenmaru.

"15th Lady of the Western Lands…"

"He has this weird theory that I am this Lady Reika's reincarnation", replied Rin with annoyance, she glanced at Sesshomaru. "Seriously I don't look like her!"

"Yes you do", he argued with a sideways glance.

"Son, you must know demons do not reincarnate in humans", Sasori commented with slight annoyance.

The Lady of Kun'Ketsu smiled. "Though your theory is interesting my lord, I was talking about you both. You were charismatic yourself with the little orphan", she added with a wink of her single eye.

"He always is very generous with the children in need. I wonder why…", replied the Lady Mother with a mysterious smile as she glanced at Rin.

"That's sweet!", exclaimed Rin, oblivious.

"Sweeter than the little boy's drawing, Lady Rin?", wondered the she-wolf teasingly.

Rin giggled. "Oh the drawing wasn't that proportionate, but he put his heart into it!"

Lady Miyah smiled slyly. "You both seemed to like the kid. Maybe you should have adopted him for some practice before doing one of your own..."

Rin forced herself to laugh and unconsciously squeezed Sesshomaru's upper arm, while the Lady Mother watched them all suspiciously.

"There we are", announced the Lord of the Western Lands, eager to get this over with.

The doors leading them to the dining room were opened, with all three guests standing up. Now it was Rin's turn to feel Sesshomaru's arm tense up… It was true that this meeting was very mysterious…Two opponents in a civil war north of the Western Lands secretly wanting to meet Sesshomaru…at the same time!

General Yuudai bowed. "Official introduction at last. This is Lady Nao…my commander in chief"

The human woman bowed at Sesshomaru and smiled at Rin. "Your presence is comforting Rin-sama", she commented.

"Likewise", Rin replied with a short bow.

"And general Kazuo", added Sesshomaru stoically. "I hope your brief passage in the dungeons was not too disagreeable."

The general smiled uneasily. "I can only applause your performance…I truly felt like a crooked monk…"

Sesshomaru nodded nonchalantly. "I think you have not met my mate yet…"

Rin's breath caught in her throat as she had a good look at this man, now free of his cane and cloak. Very lean with tied white hair and wide blue eyes, a bit juvenile looking. The peculiar colour of his irises gave out that he was related to Lady Amane, yet, it was not what disturbed her the most.

"My Lady…", he whispered a bit shyly. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Of course, same here, general Kazuo…", she replied with a polite smile.

Her jaw tightened. The gentleness in his eyes, the reserved, yet, sincere smile…the bone structure of face…she thought she even saw a few freckles on his cheekbones.

Kohaku. This was Kohaku all over!

She looked away suddenly. It must be because of the ninja who reminded her of the massacre in her human village a few months ago. That must be why this demon general reminded her of…him…That had to be it. Fruits of her imagination. That's all.

They all moved toward the table, with the two eldest women sitting at both ends, Sesshomaru went for the middle, in front of general Yuudai, Rin didn't need to be told that she had to go in front of Lady Nao. She was the best-placed person to make a human woman trustful and maybe spill a few beans.

Which left Rin to be at one of the corners, between Sesshomaru and Lady Miyah. That reassured her a bit. It meant she was at the furthest place of general Kazuo…

"So…", started Sesshomaru. "Will I finally be enlightened? I suppose you want me to get involved in conflicts that are none of my concern?"

"Please my lord, you must know it is most unpleasant to talk with an empty stomach. Why wouldn't we get to know each other more before?", suggested Yuudai with a sly smile.

"Of course Yuudai-kun. We are all eager to hear your plea, but this travel must have hungered you. We can understand that", replied Sasori with a polite smile.

"You demons can beat around the bush all you want. You'll have to loosen your tongues sooner or later anyway", commented Lady Miyah, watching them with her piercing gaze.

"Yes we are aware of that. Let's hope we won't be unpleasant company until then" replied Yuudai, flashing his teeth.

Sesshomaru drank a sip of sake without saying a word. Rin unconsciously did the same, bringing the cup slowly to her lips. However, a pair of blue eyes glancing at her almost made her flinch and so, she drank it all and looked away to inspect Lady Nao. She had jet-black hair, a narrow face but full lips, her only flaw a small scar on her forehead. She was a beautiful woman, probably in the late twenties. Rin was very curious to know how a human had ended up with such an important position in an army of rebels on demon territory, but she wasn't sure it was the best question to ask, with Amane's little brother around…

"How long have you been at general Yuudai's service, Lady Nao?", inquired Rin politely.

Appetizers were served; Rin noticed her interlocutor looked at her dish strangely before speaking up.

"I've lead his armies for only a few months, but I've been one of his top fighter for seven years now", she replied with a smile. "The Northwest has always been unsatisfied under Lord Hikaru's regime, but it has become even worse since Lady Amane's empire took over. We've been through famines, and peasants are beheaded for ridiculous reasons based on their blood and so on…"

Rin eyed the other corner of the table and noticed that Kazuo was not looking in her direction anymore. He was seemingly assaulted and overwhelmed by a lively conversation involving Tenmaru and the Lady Mother fooling around.

Kohaku was always ill at ease when Inu-Yasha and Kagome were messing around at the table…

Rin took a big gulp of sake."…You mean…that they behead humans and hanyous?"

"Yes, many innocents killed", she whispered, under Miyah and Sesshomaru's suddenly attentive gaze.

"Have you tried this food, Nao, it's the best", told Yuudai to his female companion, apparently wanting to avoid that topic.

Rin blinked briefly, thinking both of them very much looked like a couple, all of a sudden. Then she looked at her own dish for the first time, her own features turning into a scowl as she darted a sideways glance at her neighbour.

"What is this?"

"Basashi", Sesshomaru replied calmly, while glancing at her with curiosity.

"…It's…raw…", she commented with dejection.

The temptation was too great. Sesshomaru cleared his throat soundlessly.

"What is it Rin? Have you become a…_picky eater_?", he wondered innocently.

She glanced again at him, and caught the ghost of a smile that he tried to hide while drinking sake. "Oh now you think you're funny?!", she exclaimed in a vexed whisper.

Oh of course he would seek revenge for all the moments she had called him picky eater herself!

Sesshomaru approached her ear. "I promise you, dearest, this is not heart meat this time…"

She huffed, took a piece with her chopstick and shoved it into her mouth without further complaint.

The general smiled playfully as he inspected them with his jade eyes. "How long have you been together?"

Rin blinked. It was the first time that question was ever asked to them. She didn't even know which date they should use to start counting…

"Our engagement as mates is more recent than your battlefield _companionship_ with Lady Nao, that is certain", Sesshomaru retorted matter-of-factly.

Rin repressed giggles. And so Sesshomaru had noticed something as well…

The human guest laughed. "Yes, well we do look like an old couple because we have been around each other for so long…"

Sesshomaru took the time to contemplate how this mortal woman, apparently a seasoned soldier who has been living with demons for years, looked even more disgusted than his mate at the sight of crude meat. He glanced back at Rin and noticed this one had apparently forgotten her aversion for the plate and had devoured it…

"So you both chose celibacy?", continued Rin.

"It comes with duty", replied Lady Nao.

"It doesn't mean we don't have fun once in a while!", joked Yuudai.

"There speaks a man from the North!", exclaimed Tenmaru.

"In the cold…the warmth we seek!", exclaimed both man in unison while clinking their cups.

Rin assumed it was some sort of saying she had never heard about…

"Seriously, general Yuudai, you have quite a beauty to lead your armies…How unusual!", Sesshomaru's cousin commented in an easy-going manner, than almost flinched when he saw Lady Miyah's glare. "Not that leading women aren't meant to be pretty, but the finest specimen tend to stay at court, like our sweet Rin…"

"The fine specimen you talk about is the one feeding us tonight", spat back Sesshomaru with a smirk.

"No way!", exclaimed the cousin.

"So you can fight and seduce the crowds?", continued Yuudai with a smirk. "This Lord has chosen his lady wisely."

Sasori shifted in her seat, while Miyah smirked and drank.

Sesshomaru inspected his half empty glass, looking pensive. "I chose not to resist her and I have been the most fortunate man ever since."

Rin blushed gleefully. Sesshomaru remained stoic while he discreetly rested a hand on her thigh. She brushed her hand over his, thinking he just earned himself some late-night attention…

The main course arrived…cooked this time. Rin took a first bite…oblivious to what was to come…

"You were both so lovely with the kids this morning", commented Nao, looking moved. "When do you plan to have some of your own?"

Rin fought hard not to choke on her food and kept staring at her dish.

"I believe this is not something that we necessarily get to choose", replied Sesshomaru placidly.

Rin silently thanked him. She would have stuttered on this question to no end! They had never talked about this. And certainly didn't intend to do so during a diplomatic exercise attended by the Lady Mother and Lady Amane's little brother…

"Oh come on I am sure you found out how to make them by now!", insisted Yuudai, with the entire table laughing.

Except for Sesshomaru and Rin, that is.

He glanced at the general with wisps of annoyance. "I will protect and cherish every offspring Rin ever honours me with, but the private details of the life I share with my mate are none of your business."

"Your mate, you say, but her first born will be heir, right?", rushed Yuudai with burning curiosity.

"The heir is the firstborn of the consort", Sesshomaru replied evasively.

"Ah I see…", the general replied, sounding almost…disappointed. "But you must be itching for a heir, my lord…I think you are of an age a demon starts to be ripe for children…"

"His father was a very late bloomer", Sasori felt compelled to remind.

"I suppose that the need for heirs is urgent to a general risking his life every day on the battlefield", Sesshomaru retorted, while raising a mocking eyebrow.

"I am not the only general here!", exclaimed Yuudai, pointing at his neighbour.

General Kazuo flinched. "Children are the least of my worries."

The lynx showed his hand palm to his neighbour. "Ah he's like missy Rin. He's too young and cringes when he hears of it…"

Rin frowned.

"Why all this child-questioning, general Yuudai? You seem to be such a lady-killer, I'm sure you have plenty of little surprise-heirs scattered around!", exclaimed Tenmaru.

Yuudai tensed for a second and burst out laughing. "You have quite a reputation yourself Tenmaru, you can't talk!"

"I plead guilty", replied the cousin with an exuberant shrug.

He clinked his cup against Yuudai's.

"I say we make a toast", started the lynx general. "To future generations!"

Kanpais were heard and they all clinked their cups. Rin noticed Lady Nao didn't drink. Maybe her cup was empty…

"Can I bring a toast too?", wondered Rin with a sweet smile.

"Of course, dearest. What shall it be about?", replied Sesshomaru.

She waited for the servant to fill the cups and raised her own, with a serious smile. "To peace."

Sesshomaru took a second to admire her.

"What a brilliant idea", commented Lady Miyah.

"I second that", added general Kazuo with a sympathetic smile to Rin. "To peace."

And they all clinked their cups and drank again.

"Yuudai. I think it is time to get serious now", announced general Kazuo.

"Already? We were just starting to have fun!", he protested. "Okay okay…let's move on…"

"As you all know…my troops, and general Yuudai's troops have been in confrontation for a while now…"

"More than a month", added Sesshomaru.

"More than that. Since Hikaru's defeat, to be more precise. Though it is now considered a part of the empire, the northern rebels have never officially acknowledged capitulation", informed Kazuo.

"But your troops are everywhere, general Kazuo", insisted Sasori with slight surprise.

The white haired man frowned. "Not everywhere, Sasori-sama. Lady Amane has insisted for a stronger presence close to your borders to deter you to help the rebels from the North, like you helped the humans from the South. That must be why you have been mistaken."

"Hmph… So this is why you got us rid of the wildlings before they could cross our borders a month ago", added Sesshomaru, raising an eyebrow. "You wanted to make sure we wouldn't take the chance of chasing them further than necessary and meet Yuudai's warriors on the way."

Kazuo nodded. "Lady Amane personally thought that fear would be a good enough deterrent. She never asked me to intervene on the wildings crossing your borders. I chose to, in hopes it would convince you to stay away from the North in good faith…I always preferred the rule of give-and-take to the threat of terror… "

Sesshomaru glanced at him with curiosity. "Was your sister pleased with your choice of strategy?"

Kazuo looked away with uneasiness. "I never told her…"

"Why not?", prompted the Lady Mother.

He smiled shyly. "Oh you must know, my lady…"

"We don't. Please _enlighten_ us", insisted Sesshomaru, narrowing his eyes.

The young general dropped his cup on the table. "Lady Amane personally does not recognize the Western Lands as a sovereign territory."

A few people did gasp, but not Sesshomaru. "But you do."

"Pardon?"

"You, general Kazuo, do acknowledge our sovereignty. And this is why you are here…"

Kazuo nodded. "Not only do I recognize your sovereignty…but I also think that it would be more logical if it was you who lead the Northwest, instead of the Central Empire…"

Rin felt her blood freeze, and heard Sesshomaru scoff, while he took his cup. "…I knew it…", he muttered. "And why should I bother with a nest of vipers?"

The lynx clenched his fists. "Kazuo and I both are tired of endless fights. He loses soldiers. We lose people as well…"

"And mothers, and children", continued Lady Nao with melancholy.

"The Central Lands will only support Lady Amane's imperialism for so long…", added Kazuo. "Our empire is running out of resources. The Northwest is costly and impossible to keep. The entire council is against it."

"The Heartland's leading council?", inquired Sesshomaru.

Kazuo glanced at him with a determination not seen until now. "Exactly. You see, some of our conquests are not too controversial, but when it comes to Northwest, we all know we erred. Lady Amane forced it on us. And you must know we abide by the same laws as yours, my lord…"

He raised a sceptical eyebrow. "And I suppose you talk of the part saying a council has only limited power when no war with a foreign territory is declared…"

Kazuo's eyes widened. "Exactly. That makes you invincible if you ever agree to our plan… Come to Yuudai's aid, I will make sure to lose the battle pathetically to reduce the casualties…Take over the Northwest. Everything passed the Fun'jin mountains…It's all yours."

"Fun'jin mountains you say?", inquired Tenmaru with a low voice.

"Yes. This is a logical frontier, Tenmaru-san, The wisest one", replied Kazuo, then he looked back at Sesshomaru. "We would be separated by high and icy mountains. We wouldn't even have to see each other after the fight…"

"This is…huge…", Tenmaru muttered, he glanced at the Lord with a smug smile. "With such a big expansion…we could actually call you emperor…"

Rin knew Sesshomaru couldn't be indifferent to that.

"You are a greedy fool, Tenmaru", retorted Lady Sasori with a dark gaze.

Sesshomaru looked away sceptically. "You don't have the power to impose this on the Heartlands. This is a reckless plan."

General Kazuo smirked. "I do have this power, my lord. The council supports me. If Amane ever fights you back, you only need to send a declaration of war. She will lose absolute power on her subjects and we will all vote for a withdrawal of any troops she may send on your lands…", he added with a sinister smile. "because…trust me when I say…the Heartlands is not a foe to the Western Lands", Kazuo said with burning eyes. "Amane is."

Sesshomaru blinked. The prospect of being protected by a declaration of war did sound insane to his ears.

He turned towards the rebels. "And why should I trust you to yield power?"

Yuudai scoffed. "My lord, we can't stand on our own! If you ever helped us without taking over, Amane would send troops the second you remove yours, and that's assuming she has the decency to wait for yours to withdraw…"

"So you would willing to pass from a foreign domination to another one, without any desire to earn back the lands you've lost?", inquired Sesshomaru, while raising a sceptical eyebrow.

Yuudai looked down at his dish with a frown. "We have our pride, but we could bear it with appropriate terms…"

"Such as?"

"Two seats on your council."

"Be glad if you even have one. I have many vassals who've been fighting for decades for such privilege", Sesshomaru retorted.

"One then."

Sesshomaru frowned. "You truly are desperate…"

Yuudai looked down again. "We…we are, my lord. You must know we are very proud people up North, if we come here today knocking at your door, proposing a fake fight and a conquest on a silver platter…it is because we are in trouble. We need warriors, supplies and safety. We know you graced Kun'Ketsu with protection, so we though…why not us too?"

"This is not the same. The Kun'Ketsu Islands never belonged to the Heartlands. And this is an alliance we have. We never took over", commented Sasori with narrowed eyes.

Rin glanced at Lady Miyah and noticed how the she-wolf was suddenly staring down at her feet.

"As long as the catch remain undisclosed, I will consider this a poisonous gift…", commented Sesshomaru sceptically.

Yuudai didn't answer.

"Very poisonous indeed", added the Lady Mother. "You are asking us to increase even more the odds of a war with the Heartlands!"

Kazuo glanced at her with a sorry look. "My lady…there is no if. The only question you may ask yourself is when."

"And you can't grant us with the answer to this question?", she asked back suddenly.

"I am not certain, but it has been the subject of discussions for months, now", answered Kazuo.

At that many people gulped.

Sesshomaru sighed. "I think we have enough for one night."

Kazuo frowned in alarm. "We don't have your answer, my lord…"

Sesshomaru frowned back. "Do you really think I can take such a decision in the blink of an eye?"

"We guarantee you the risks are limited…"

"What is a guarantee's worth, if it's spoken with a forked tongue?", retorted Sesshomaru dryly.

Kazuo looked away uneasily. "So you don't trust us…"

"General… do not take this personally, but we have a long history of your bloodline fooling around with us", Sesshomaru spat back. "And even if I trusted blindly every word coming out of your mouth, I refuse to take such a decision without proper consultations of my own advisors."

"Not to pressure you, my lord, but…this plan is time-sensitive. The quicker we get the answer, the easier it will be for us to execute this plan", insisted Yuudai.

"You will not have this decision today. You may stay for the night, I don't care, but count yourself lucky if you have a decision tomorrow…", the lord retorted coldly.

Yuudai nodded and bowed with Lady Nao. "We understand, my lord."

"I understand your need of reflection, but for obvious reason, I cannot accept proper accommodations. You will have to bring me back to your dungeons away from prying eyes", Kazuo replied.

Sesshomaru smirked. "You are wise, general, I will at least give you that. Too bad you have the blue mages' blood, or else I think we could have gotten along."

Kazuo smiled slightly and bowed. "I…ah…will take that for a compliment my lord…"

Sesshomaru nodded. "You are all free the enjoy the rest of your meal without pressure and retire for rest thereafter."

General Yuudai smiled. "So that means we can resume our partying, is that it?"

The Lord of the Western Lands frowned sceptically. "Do as you please…"

…

Cling…cling…cling …

The coin bounced on the side a few more times on the table…and landed in the lone empty cup in the center of the table, in a victorious cli-cling-clingg!

"Shit", muttered the dog demon.

General Yuudai laughed loudly. "Got it! Your turn Tenmaru! Drink!"

"Fiiine", slurred Sesshomaru's cousin, taking his own cup and emptying it so clumsily part of the sake fell down his chin that he wiped very unceremoniously.

"Okay, here I go again", announced Yuudai.

The coin bounced on the table a few times to land in the in empty cup. Again.

"Urgh!", whined Tenmaru, emptying his cup again without even waiting the general to say his name.

"Good boy!", replied Yuudai with a victorious grin.

"You know…you could name me once in a while too", suggested Lady Miyah with a smirk. "The inuyoukai boy looks like he could pass out at any time …"

"Or throw up", added Kazuo with concern on his features.

"Oh you…until you man up and play, you don't have a word to say!", exclaimed Yuudai, with Lady Nao shaking her head in exasperation behind him and the Lady Mother narrowing her eyes at the juvenile guests' behaviour.

Sesshomaru and Rin watched from a distance. He frowned at his mate's revelations.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes!", Rin whispered, while eyeing Lady Nao. "You were unsure about Yuudai's motivation, well there it is! She's pregnant!"

"We do not even have the confirmation they are involved", replied Sesshomaru.

"Please! It is obvious!", insisted Rin.

He frowned. She was not wrong. Even him had noticed, and he was not the type to be attentive to these things.

"She has barely eaten and she has not drunk a drop. She must have an upset stomach... Besides they did question us about…", she fidgeted nervously "you know… kids and their possible birthright. It all makes sense! General Yuudai and Lady Nao are involved, that's why they want to stop the fight now: they're expecting a hanyou child. They fear the treatment they would receive if this child come into the world under the Heartland's domination…"

"Their personal motivation cannot be the only reason why they bother with this deal…"

"I do not know for sure, but I think it certainly helped", replied Rin with certitude.

Sesshomaru glanced at her. Rarely Rin has seemed surer of something. And she did have a good intuition for these things. She had found out about his vassal's love affairs without even knowing them in her first days on the Western Lands. He could certainly trust her about this…and that theory did make sense, Yuudai had been very persistent with his questions about heirs…

Though it may seem like a superficial detail, it wasn't at all. His deal with the hanyous of Kun'Ketsu was only a security and commercial pact, not giving him power over Lady Miyah's people (at least, for now). However, if he did conquer the Northwest in a false battle, he would have to take Yuudai as a vassal. Yuudai with a hanyou heir. And Sesshomaru knew the Western coast of the North was influenced by the geographical closeness of Kun'Ketsu, and so, it would mean a lot of new hanyou subjects. Not that he minded, but it would truly mean the death knell of an aura of purebloods for the Western Lands…Was it the right time for this?

He frowned. The truth was, he knew nothing of the North's situation at the moment. Because of the unknown number of hanyous living there, Lady Amane could very well have given extermination orders. That would be consistent with what Lady Nao had said to Rin during diner. And that certainly wouldn't be inconsistent with Lady Amane's positions in regards to hanyou proliferation…and that could explain why the Northwest had never kneeled officially to Amane, even though the empress didn't see it this way. The impure part of its people having to fight for their lives until the last one stands…

He glanced at general Kazuo, the one who had organized this meeting in the first place.

"Rin…", he started with a low voice.

"Hum…yes?"

"General Kazuo looks bored. Maybe you could talk to him…"

She blinked and hoped not to blush. "Wh-why for?"

He didn't answer right away. He darted a sideways glance.

"I would like you to evaluate if he can truly be trusted. I need to hear more about his motivations…"

"How do I do that?"

He shrugged slightly. "If you make him like you, he's more likely to talk."

Rin felt her ankles quiver at that. "And h-how am I supposed to do that?"

Sesshomaru looked slightly surprised. "I don't even understand why you ask me this question. You know better than I…"

Rin frowned. "Why don't you come with me?"

"I am under the impression there are things he left out…the attempt to make him talk should be made by someone he can feel at ease with…he needs to drop his guard…"

Rin stared back at Kazuo, wondering why he scared her so, and glanced back at Sesshomaru. "You will owe me for this", she warned.

He smirked. "Fair enough."

She took one last gulp of her sake, and put down her cup on a nearby table.

"O-okay here I go!"

She walked away, towards the foreign general, flashing a smile as soon as she approached him. He looked pleased to have a pretext to get away from the drunkards. They walked towards the closest balcony.

Sesshomaru heard suspicious discreet walking behind him. He frowned.

"…You are aware the young general has been eyeing her all night?", warned the Lady Mother, stepping out of the shadow, as she watched Rin get out of her sight.

No. He had not noticed.

He remained expressionless. "All the more reason for her to make him talk…"

"…So that's what she's doing…" Lady Sasori smirked. "…Interesting…"

…

The crickets sang melodiously into the night, as Rin got out of the dining room with general Kazuo, now wearing his cloak again.

"Are you sure this is safe, Lady Rin?", he inquired with a low voice.

"Yes of course! The only ones around here are my personal guards, general".

He looked around nervously. "Personal guards?"

She smiled. "Don't worry. They won't talk. They've already seen you during dinner anyway, but you will never see them..."

He blinked. "Why do you need to be so heavily guarded?"

Rin smiled sadly. "I was targeted by wildings from the Heartlands, when they attacked the castle…"

Kazuo looked uneasy. "I am so sorry to hear it." He glanced at the starry sky. "This attack was wrong. Lady Amane took the decision to send the order only after consulting with her inner circle… Many vassals feared the West would declare war after this…"

"The vassals from the Central Lands fear the West?"

"Very much so…You haven't been at war with other lands for the past year and a half and your troops have always been much stronger than those of the East and North. You could probably crush us…"

"…Really?", replied Rin, then she raised an eyebrow. "General Kazuo, why are you telling me this?"

He smiled. "We are to be partners".

Rin's eyes widened.

He blushed and laughed shyly. "Battle-speaking I mean…"

Rin giggled and nodded. "Yes, yes, of course…"

"What I meant is that it is my way of befriending someone I will do business with...I give first and trust to receive back…"

Rin frowned as she leaned on the balcony. "How can you be so sure we will accept your plan? I think the West's defensive approach has worked well until now…"

"We are giving away all the resources from the Northwest: its people, the coasts… precious gems… Lord Sesshomaru has much more to earn than to lose."

"…Why are you willing to give away all of this again?", she inquired, while raising a sceptical eyebrow.

He smiled sadly. "The people of the Northwest refuse us. Our policies are not the best for the mixed races either…It forces us to do gruesome things daily. Many of my men are getting mad because of it…"

Rin stared at the ground uneasily. "General Kazuo…certainly you must know what I am…"

He smiled mysteriously. "I did notice your ears during diner", he admitted. "Tell me…is it…you who danced with Sesshomaru at master Tenmaru's wedding?"

"Yes. Why?"

He half smiled. "I heard of you, then…but I believe I was poorly informed…"

Rin darted him knowing eyes. "Lady Amane must not like me very much…"

"No she doesn't. But I think she disliked Lord Sesshomaru even more."

Rin smiled playfully. "Oh really? What did she say?"

He smirked. "Many things, but the worst thing for her being that he has caught his father's disease!"

Rin giggled and facepalmed in fake embarrassment. "Oh yes my filthy human blood, I had almost forgotten!"

Kazuo chuckled and leaned on the balcony too, his elbow a bit close. Rin felt her heartbeat quicken…He truly didn't seem to have the same aversion of his sister for mortals, she observed…

"I am aware Lord Sesshomaru is not as he was told to be, a century past", he glanced at her. "He went further than his father: he has a human mate that he clearly is attached to living in his castle. You even host audiences with him…"

Rin blushed. "I am truly blessed…"

He darted a glance. "I think he is too. You are a…very special young woman… "

Rin glanced at his blue eyes, blushed and looked away.

"What is it? I-I…", he blushed too and moved away. "I have no wrong intentions…I swear!"

She giggled. "I…know …it's just that…you remind me of someone I knew…"

"So it's not what I say that…"

"No-no…don't worry…it is nothing like it", she smiled earnestly.

He frowned. "Who was this person to you?", he inquired innocently.

She looked at the stars and felt her vision blur. "…You are curious", she observed with a enigmatic smile. "He is dead now, but he was someone that I loved very much…", she let out in a barely audible whisper.

His eyes widened. "Oh…I am so sorry to hear that…" He remained quiet, seemingly not knowing what to say.

She smiled jokingly. "I apologize…I am actually comparing you to a filthy mortal!", she commented with fake shame, wanting to lighten the mood.

"D-don't worry about it…", he replied with an uneasy smile.

She smiled back at him. "I think I can trust you, Kazuo. I sense you have a good heart…"

He looked at her with an indecipherable look. "I think I understand why my sister despises you."

Rin frowned in confusion.

"To wear your heart in your sleeve like that… the empress of the Heartlands actually lacks that body part", he explained with a slight smirk.

Rin laughed and glanced at the moon. "You do not like your sister very much, don't you?"

"I wouldn't be here if we had any sort of attachment to her. It is also very hard to defend her policies in public…it is getting harder for many people of the Heartlands", Kazuo commented. "I only wish Lord Sesshomaru would understand that I share nothing with her…"

A door was opened…there it was, the opportunity!

"I like to believe in people, but I am afraid the Lord of the West cannot allow himself that luxury…", Rin replied elusively.

Kazuo looked at her with concern on his features. "I understand his view…that…he has to rely on me. I am afraid I am asking him the impossible…"

Rin rested a hand on his shoulder. He flinched. "Not the impossible, general Kazuo. I would like to help you, but my mate likes facts…"

He nodded and looked away, briefly at the moon, before looking down. "I would have loved to have material evidence with me…but the imperial army scrutinize every warrior, from recruit soldier to commander in chief as if we are all traitors. We have no privacy or mean to hide anything from the blue empress…"

"…There must be something", insisted Rin. "Don't you have knowledge that you could share…anything?"

He bowed his neck, now all his features concealed under his cloak. "…I could put myself in trouble…"

Rin frowned. "Well… I thought you said you didn't mind giving to earn trust…"

"Isn't my sole visiting a good enough evidence of my seriousness?"

"I am sure Sesshomaru knows by now that you have no vile intention, but we need proof that your plan will work…"

He seemed to think about that for a while.

He slid slightly towards her, to whisper not very far from her ear. "You said your lord likes to play defensive. Well from my point of view, right now the best defensive strategy is to play offense…"

"Why do you say that?"

"The Heartlands are crumbling. We've expanded too much, too quickly and now not only the North, but also the East is working on an uprising…"

Rin gasped. "Really?"

He frowned "Lady Rin I…I am only one player in that game. The vassals are ignored by Amane all the time and now they are using the people they can trust to organise the rebellions…in hopes to get rid of what is too troublesome to keep, so we can have enough resources to sustain the main lands…"

"I…I trust everything you say Kazuo…but…for Kami's sake, you are Lady Amane's brother. Sesshomaru will not move if you only give him words without any other evidences!"

He licked his lips, seemingly deep in thoughts. "In about two days from now…You will have your proof. I suppose you have informers in the East or close to it?"

She frowned. "I am not sure…why?"

He glanced at her, sparkling malice in the blue. "If you don't, send scouts right away to see it with your own eyes. The fight is about to begin in the East. We planned it. Amane's attention will be there for at least a week. That's why you must strike now. The attack will be so ferocious she will have to take back most of her troops, even those to the North. There…is your free conquest…and the beginning of end for the blue empress…"

Rin felt her mouth open, astounded. "Two days you say? Rebellion in the East?"

He looked uneasy, looking down again. "You may repeat to _him_, but no one else… Even general Yuudai think it's just about the North and it must stay this way if you want to keep him on your side…If you ever ask me about it after the present conversation…I will never have never heard of it."

Rin nodded nervously. "O-okay I understand…"

He looked at her hopefully. "You will do your utmost now…to convince him?"

She smiled reassuringly. "Yes…", then she paused. "Should I keep that from the Lady of the West?"

He looked doubtful. "You know what is best…but from what I know of Lady Sasori, she may not be inclined to intervene. She is long passed the passion of conquests…"

Rin nodded with understanding.

"However…if you need arguments for her…you may want to remind her where she comes from. She may care for her former home too…"

Rin frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Kazuo blinked in slight confusion. "Lady Sasori is from the Moon Tribe, located in the Heart Mountains of the main lands…the last great dog demon house of our empire…"

Rin's eyes widened, unbelieving. "No way!"

"You didn't know?"

"W-well…", she stammered, looking at the moon.

It might explain Sasori's natural dislike of hanyous…But still…

"I thought the Central and Western Lands always had tense relations…Why would Inu Taisho chose a wife from there, then?", she inquired with a frown.

Kazuo smiled slightly. "It is said Lord Inu Taisho did not intend to find a consort based on the purity of her blood, but my father Lord Sakuza had very persuasive arguments for the former Lord of the West…In the end, Inu Taisho accepted a highborn demoness of the Heartlands as consort, in exchange for a peace treaty with my late father…about contested territories they were fighting about. Lady Sasori was the one Inu Taisho picked among a few…To him, it wasn't unreasonable at all, if it meant his people would be safe…They did have at least a century of quietness after…"

Rin blinked. "An arranged marriage in exchange for peace…indeed, Inu Taisho was the winner of that deal…"

Kazuo frowned. "For demon purity, my father was ready to go that far…but he was also hoping that the heir of the West…with blood from the Heartlands…could be a match for his own newborn daughter. This way, he hoped he could earn the West in due time…"

"So…he had planned to match Lady Amane with the future heir of the West, in hopes for both lands to merge?", inquired Rin, unbelieving.

"Lord Sakuza knew Lord Inu Taisho would never accept that, but he was hoping his heir would… but…we all know how this story ended…", Kazuo sighed. "And now, all of this is part of the past…Lord Sakuza is dead, and so is Inu Taisho… Lady Amane and Lord Sesshomaru despise each other, and we are back to square one…caught in endless fights…"

Rin looked down, feeling queasy and goosebumps on her skin. She wished she had never heard any of this. The idea that Sesshomaru's existence wouldn't have been without the Central Lands interference sickened her…Was there a single thing about Sesshomaru's past that wasn't a sad irony?

"Hmm It is getting late…I think should go…", she whispered, while rubbing her arms.

He nodded. "Of course, let me follow you…"

They both walked back inside, away from the coolness and crickets.

They approached the door. He opened it for her. She smiled. "It was an interesting talk, general Kazuo."

He smiled back. "Indeed. You are an intriguing lady, Rin-sama. It was most enlightening to have a talk with another ruler of the shadow…"

Rin cocked her head inquisitively. "That's how you see me?"

He smirked. "Of course…we are of the same kind…in a way."

She glanced at the loud men inside, with her eyes widening as she spotted Sesshomaru watching with exasperation the two drunkards: Tenmaru and general Yuudai, that is.

She did see him flash an amber glance at her, but it was not supposed to be noticed.

"I wish you all the best with Lord Sesshomaru", Kazuo said with a low voice.

She giggled. "I wish you happiness general Kazuo", she smiled pleasantly. "With any lucky lady you see fit."

He chuckled at that. "I have no time for that."

"You will find the time when you will find the right person", she replied with certitude.

She walked away, towards Sesshomaru.

…

As soon as the chambers' doors closed, the Lord of the Western Lands discarded his immaculate pelt on the closest armchair, slowly untied and freed himself of his metal armour and thereafter, indulged himself with a sigh of lassitude. There weren't many things he hated more than audiences of petitioners and diplomatic meetings…and the issue at the center of it was so thorny he doubted he would close the eyes, even for the briefest moment. Not that he had to sleep every night, but he wouldn't have said no to a brief episode of rest after such tiresome tasks, especially since he knew the following day was not going to be any better…

He had thought this was only going to be about general Kazuo asking for help in Lady Amane's back or something of the sort. Never would he have thought that northern rebels waiting for a hanyou child would beg for an indexation of the Northwest to the Western Lands, that a rebellion was about to erupt inside the Central Lands and that Amane's brother actually wanted him to be a part of it. Now he could already hear his vassals yell in the next meeting…

Taking his mind off things…even for the briefest moment…certainly wouldn't hurt…

He glanced briefly at the book on his desk… the _Tales of the Heike_. Seeing this novel around Rin's things had convinced him to read it again. It had been more than a century since he had opened any sort of leisure reading…He found himself wondering why he had stopped in the first place.

Before he could decide whether or not he should indulge himself with a few pages, he noticed that his mate had opened the doors leading to the balcony and was now leaning against its ramp to watch the moon, seemingly deep in thoughts. Probably worried. She always watched the moon when something was bothering her.

He walked slowly towards her, oblivious to the burgundy draperies being blown by the nightly breeze.

Rin smiled as she heard his discreet footsteps approaching…He rarely surprised her, as of late. She supposed it was either because her hearing had become more acute, or maybe that he tried to be louder around her? He did mention once or twice his concerns about her startling too often when he got close…

Two strong arms wrapped themselves around her slim waist. She closed her eyes and leaned against him, enjoying his warmth in the chilly night and the soothing feel of his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm against her back.

She bowed her head to the side, as he dropped light kisses on her neck.

"How do you do this?", she inquired suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Act like you have nothing to worry about…"

"Worry wouldn't exactly improve my capacity of reflection…", he replied with composure. He leaned to her ear. "And I think you should stop thinking about my ruler's dilemmas…You have already done too much for one day…"

"Yes…you do owe me", she reminded teasingly.

"Indeed…", he confirmed in a low voice.

He felt her tense up in his arms. "Kazuo…he said something else that I didn't tell you about…it's just a detail but…"

"What is it?"

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "He called me…ruler of the shadow…"

Then she noticed the night getting lighter… the clouds now leaving the moon. She glanced back at it to contemplate how full and bright it was.

"Hmph…" The ghost of a smile spread on Sesshomaru's lips as he tightened his hold on her. "So…how did it feel…to be called as such?"

She tried to stay focused on his question, but his hands sliding on her ribs were so…distracting…

"I don't know", she whispered. "I don't think I..._rule_ at all."

"Would you like to?"

She turned towards him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't need it… I have my hands full being the ruler's mate and councillor!"

His traits softened. "Is that so?"

She smiled teasingly and approached her face from his, now just one breath away. "We only need one ruler around here anyway…" Then she dodged his kiss and leaned to his ear. "One…grand…ruler…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Rin…what do you imply?"

She grinned. "Oh come on! You are so awesome that a bunch of foreign generals came here begging you to defeat them! That is crazy!"

The corner of his lips twitched. "It is not because of how…awesome I am…You know as much as I what are their motives…"

Rin shook her head. "Tsk-tsk… I say… they admire you so much that they want to make you the one true demon _emperor_", she purred, while caressing the side of his face with the back of her hand.

He caught it and entangled his fingers with hers, yet he displayed slight annoyance. "Did you really need to remind me of Tenmaru's idiocies?"

She pouted briefly. "I like the ring of it…the great Sesshomaru, taiyoukai of the Western Empire…", she whispered playfully, while her fingers roamed gently on his chest.

His hands slid on the side of her waist, the spot where it tickled. She gasped.

"I think…that you gave that a lot of thought to this, for a lady who pretends not to be interested by power", he replied, entrancing richness in his voice. "Lady Rin…or should it be…Empress Rin…Of the West?"

She giggled. "Oh now you love it when it's about me?"

He assaulted her sensitive spot under her ear as only answer, making her sigh with bliss, while his body pressed against hers and his hands started to roam over her back.

"…_My lord_…You can't just…take me like that tonight", she warned teasingly, eyes closed while he kept kissing.

"Why not?", he inquired in a hot whisper against her neck.

"Tonight…I want you to conquer me", she murmured enticingly.

And then she caught him off guard by pushing him roughly, forcing to take a few step back. Just as she was about to jump from the balcony in a fit of giggles…

"AH!"

He caught her wrist and pulled her towards the chamber with a speed he had never used on her, and closed the door in a loud SLAM!

Hazel eyes widened in fear. Before she even knew what was happening, he slammed her against the wall. She gasped in surprise and tried to get away, like a little devil squirming against his hold…to no avail…

He nipped her neck roughly in punishment; moan instinctively escaping her mouth before she could take it back.

With some agility she didn't quite comprehend, he successfully held both of her wrists against the wall with only one hand, and the more she fought, the firmer his grasp became. She was trapped…

His other hand tug roughly at her obi, giving up with barely any resistance…

"That's not fair", she protested, still writhing against him. "You didn't even let me run!"

"You shouldn't announce your intentions…if you want a chance", he let out in a husky whisper to her ear.

Her dress opened up; revealing herself like a gift to him, thin hadajuban leaving not much place to imagination. He started caressing one of her breast through the clothing with his thumb, filling her with undeniable delight. She parted her lips, closed her eyes and let the sighs break free and, much to his pleasure.

"With both hands", she commanded.

He obeyed, freeing her wrists and titillating her like she requested. She graced him with melodic whimpers as he kept toying with her divine curves.

She opened her eyes to reveal feral want. She untied his sash and threw it on the floor, hands opening the upper part of his garbs to roam from the hot skin of his torso up to his shoulders, distracting him with soft massages on his hard muscles, hungry amber eyes closing long enough for her to creep unexpectedly towards him and assault him of a brush of her lips and tender curves against his chest, making him emit something between a sigh and growl.

He pushed her back roughly against the wall, friction against the hard surface making her mane escape from her bun to touch her half bare shoulders. He grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her from the ground, to feel her flesh against his. He nipped her neck again, already red from rough ministrations. She moaned in a mix of ache and delight and sank her nails in the fabric of his dark clothes.

She felt all of him against her…restless with need …

He slid her hadajuban completely up her thighs and without further warning, made her shriek as his manhood pushed its way inside of her, awakening both shock and achy relief. She whimpered and tightened the grasp of her legs wrapped around him to amplify the thrilling intrusion, loving the feel of him assaulting her as if she was a prey to be subdued. But she kept fighting, scratching his back until the upper part of his garbs slid down his shoulders, and then continued clawing at his skin, but he seized her wrists again, another mean in less to fight back each powerful and blissful thrust squeezing her against the wall. That left her voice as only weapon, but he shushed her with a hungry kiss, forcing her to savour the warmth of his mouth, still tasting of her own preys. She replied with a nip of his lower lip, which only aroused him more and made him lose track of his strength, pounding so violently into her that her back slammed against the wall, but she was oblivious to any pain and only yelped in ecstasy.

He stroked her most sensible parts with his finger while he kept going at his rough lovemaking. Forgetting her belligerent attitude for a minute, her hand went over his to guide him. She felt burning bliss from all the torturing massaging and sang her rapture in soprano.

He pulled her towards him, locked lips and tongued her ravenously, making her shudder even though she was boiling. Her body contorted as the violent pang of pleasure struck, burst of her own capitulation bringing him down with her. The kiss broke to leave erratic panting and whimpers of elation come out…all of the wild urges relieved as quick as they came.

They caught their breath quietly against the wall. As Rin opened her eyes, she discovered with silent amusement that both of them were only half bare: his pants down his thighs, her hadajuban up hers, her kimono at her feet, upper part of his clothes unceremoniously lying on an armchair further in the room (how did it get there?!) and she lost sight of one of her okobos…

He took her in his arms and brought her to the bed, freed her of her sweaty clothes, and set her down gently on the side to caress her lower back.

He frowned. "I think it'll bruise", he stated softly, unsatisfied as he observed redness on her skin.

She laughed and lied on her back, concealing his source of concern. "Don't worry, my love…I am tougher than I look", she reassured with a smile.

He let himself fall on the stomach next to her, and only then realized he still had his boots on, and got them out of the way nonchalantly before that got noticed.

"You know… I don't want you to hold back every time, just because I am human…" she whispered with a soft smile.

He turned lazily his head to her side and caressed her cheek, showing slight amusement on his relaxed feature. "I do not hold back at all when you behave like a full fledged demon…"

"I did that?", she wondered with a playful grin.

A ghost of a smile spread on his lips. "You do so many things like a little inudemoness…without even knowing…"

"Or maybe…I informed myself…", she retorted teasingly "…to make sure I could please my inu conqueror…"

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You don't need to do that. Your natural way of doing things suits me just fine, Rin."

She smiled smugly. "But you loved it …"

He closed his eyes. "…I can't deny…"

She smiled with satisfaction. "So I should play the fiery ruler again?"

He glanced at her with wisps of mischief in his burning amber eyes, budding smirk on his lips. "You're not acting. It's in you and it has started surfacing…"

"Oh stop it with your Lady Reika speech!", she exclaimed, putting her pillow dramatically on her face.

He repressed an amused smile, lay on his side, confiscated the fluffy object from her (she did resist a bit before giving up) and brushed the hair out of her face, to have a good look at her, his own gaze piercing. "I am serious. At first, you don't realize… don't believe it is happening. But one day, you will wake up, look at yourself in the mirror and realize that your soul have turned inside out. That you have become what you would never have thought possible…without even trying."

…End of chapter…

A/N: Yup…I read absolutely no complaint about the end of chapter smut, so there it is again! Lol…

Seriously, that chapter was a total pain to write. I was all proud of finishing it in less than a week, but certain parts were like…completely deleted and rewritten because I was unsatisfied with it…Is there other people like me around here…maniac about edition?

Whatever, now you know what to do! Yes you do! That's a super lengthy chapter just in time for Easter. I want feedback!


	22. Of Catharsis and Rivalries

A/N: Here I am, back with another big chapter!

Random disclaimer: I know some people do that with their fanfiction, and I never bothered doing it with this one, but yeah, the characters of Inu Yasha do not belong to me, obviously, but the original characters who have come out of my own brain are mine. MIIIINE!

*coughs* Ahem…anyway…

Today I noticed…the first tulips growing in my backyard (oh my gawwwd)!

Anyway…thanks again for the feedback, it is as precious to me as blood is to the mosquito!

With that…enjoy!

Chapter 22 : Of Catharsis and Rivalries

Rin stood under the shade of the nashis tree, feeling bloated and heavy. She rubbed her stomach instinctively, cursing herself for eating too many fruits, but she couldn't help herself. They were perfectly ripe at this time of the year. She examined her surroundings, and realized that she was back in her village. She couldn't remember how she had ended up here. She walked down the hill, barefoot, yet her intricate furisode was thick, and she could feel droplets trickling down her back. She didn't understand why she felt so tired…

"Hey!", called a masculine voice.

She startled and glanced over her shoulder, eyes widening as she saw the newcomer.

"…Kohaku?"

He caught up with her with a light smile. "We have been searching for you everywhere!"

He took her hand and helped get her down the hill, as if it had always been this way…him searching for her in the village and bringing her where she was meant to be… at a pace slightly too fast for her likings. Her breathing quickened, tears filling her eyes.

"…How…how is it possible? H-how can you be alive?!"

He frowned in confusion. "What's wrong with you? I never died."

Then she inspected him and noticed he did not wear his demon slayer uniform, but rather…a blue armour…as if he was a knight…

She frowned. "I shouldn't be here…"

Kohaku's eyes widened, showing off their bright colour. "What are you talking about? This is the most important day of your life, of course you have to be here!"

Rin frowned deeper as she stared at him…since when Kohaku had blue irises? Now she was confused…

"There she is…", said a baritone voice.

Rin checked over her shoulder again.

"Sesshomaru…"

He raised an eyebrow. "You are late."

"Late for what?"

"…Your wedding", he replied, looking slightly vexed.

Her eyes widened. "…Really?"

Sesshomaru and Kohaku stared at her with apparent confusion and exchanged concerned glances.

The demon frowned. "She must be confused because of her physical state…"

"Of course. How else could she be so forgetful?!", insisted Kohaku.

"It matters not. We must bring her to the altar."

"Of course, my lord!"

Each man grabbed one of her upper arm and pulled her down the hill, making her almost loose her balance.

"W-wait! Stop this!", she exclaimed.

It didn't take long before she started to pant, she felt so weak…then she felt a sharp…painful fell in her stomach. She freed herself of their firm grasps and held her belly.

Her eyes widened. Looking down, only now noticing how round it was…

She shook her head in denial. "No no…I am not ready for…"

"Nonsense. Come", ordered Sesshomaru, tugging her arm.

"Yes, you are late, my lady!", insisted Kohaku, pushing on her back.

She had no choice but to keep going, until they reached a crowd and the sacred shrine, Kaede waiting for them all in sternness. All her friends were there: Kagome, Inu-Yasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo…It was odd, they all looked at her as if she was a stranger…as if she had never lived among them. And then she saw an unexpected guest, a little girl in an orange and yellow yukata, with bubble patterns, frowning at her as if she was her worst enemy…. Rin's breath caught in her throat. A child version of herself! How could this be?! And master Jaken was next to her too! Not looking at her very kindly either…

"Don't do this Lord Sesshomaru!", the young Rin screamed, tears filling her eyes. "Please!"

Sesshomaru ignored her. They both moved towards the altar, Rin oblivious to the beauty of the pond and the intricate flowers on the small bridge crossing the stretch of water, leading them to Kaede.

She felt another sharp pain in her stomach, this time so violent; the weakness it caused in her limbs made her fall from the bridge and into the pond on her knees, both hands splashing violently in the water.

"Uh!"

What a humiliation…She wiped her face. She tried to remove a long strand of wet hair stuck on her cheek, and only then noticed its colour…

It was white. Pristine white…

"Wh-what?"

"What's wrong?", inquired Seshomaru, kneeling in the water with a worried expression on his face. "My empress, please talk to me…"

Filled with dread, she looked back in the water, at her own reflection. It was not her face. Instead, it was one of a woman dressed all in white and silver, with wide blue eyes and elven features.

She gasped in fright. She was Lady Amane!

"AAAAAahhhh!"

At last, her eyes opened. Rin panted heavily in the bed, oblivious to the rain hitting the windows. She recognized Sesshomaru's chambers…but she was alone.

She got up in one leap as three guards got inside, inquiring about her physical state, but she ignored them all and walked towards the closest mirror. The light was dim, but she could see that she had no round belly anymore, and that her hair was dark again. She rubbed her eyes in frustration. What a terrible nightmare! She was not tired anymore.

And so she dressed herself more formally with a night robe, and left as quickly as she could.

…

Lady Sasori was on her balcony watching the rainfall. She had just heard Rin scream her lungs out…but she knew it was pointless to intervene, at least ten guards must have flown to her rescue by now…

A window of Sesshomaru's chambers was slightly open…She had heard the human whisper a few complaints, including Lady Amane's name during her rest. The Lady Mother didn't blame the girl. In fact, she did fear the Empress of the Heartlands too…

However, even if it seemed Rin had just got out of a nightmare, the demoness envied her…for being able to sleep in the first place...Inu Taisho had been quite a sleeper too, shutting the eye almost every night like a mortal and snoring loud like thunder. Sasori had never been able to indulge herself with rest as such…and she started to worry that centuries of being rigorously awake was starting to weight on her. She started to have tensions in the neck, and her bones were sometimes achy during rain…and at that moment, she had quite a headache…

The Lady Mother was not a fool. She knew she was aging. Of course, she could still bear a lot; she was still far from being an old woman. The physical signs were insignificant; really…the lassitude of the soul was much worse…If the weight on her shoulders once felt heavy…now it had grown into a curse.

She had enough of being the Lady of the Western Lands. She had earned this status so young that she had forgotten how it felt not to be the official Lady of the West…Sometimes, she just fancied doing as she pleases, without any sickening obligations to worry about. Freedom to be present or absent from the court's events without being noticed that much… Such flexibility seemed to work well for Rin…happily aiding her son, but she still had enough spare time to rest herself…

Yet, Rin had looked so comfortable in the Lady's chair while the little orphan was sitting on her lap and Sesshomaru eyeing her from the corner of the eye… and she had been so observant to find out about the human woman's pregnancy (really human's pregnancy did look worse than those of demons…) and about the uprising in the East, while behaving all dignified and loving next to Sesshomaru all night long...It felt ironic that this simple human, so shy and broken a few months ago had grown so much in strength, many people already behaving as if she owned the place…She might just be a mortal and short-lived, but right now, she seemed much, much more bouncy that the Lady of the West had been in a long while.

Sasori smirked as she realized…she had almost done nothing the day before. Rin had done quite everything, from the audiences to the diplomatic talks…the Lady's job…

She sighed at heart's content. Life at the castle had changed in tremendous ways in the past months…

…

Rin walked back towards the chambers, now carrying a heavy cup of herbal tea that would help her rest…at least she hoped…

She stopped in her tracks, wondering if it is truly what she wished. She was now in the main corridor of the mansion, and had walked past the study only moments ago…but there were so many other doors…leading Kami knows where…

This place was supposed to be her home now. Maybe that she should actually ask for a complete tour of the place, instead of being surprised each time she got in a room she had never seen before…Maybe that she would discover interesting things. Maybe that she could get to know where exactly was that mysterious archive room Kireru had talked about…full of secrets…

She glanced around…wondering if that room could be close. It would be logical for it to be around here… she thought as she took a first gulp of her tea…and almost burnt her lips in the process. If only she had known where it was...it would have been the perfect time to dig up old secrets that she wanted to know about…

Then she heard muffled voices, as if people were talking not very far…A door slid open right in front of her at the end of the corridor, tall feminine silhouette with furry ears on top of her head leaning against the door frame.

"Must I understand it is a hobby of yours to trick people?", Rin heard Sesshomaru say.

He sounded slightly irritated...

"I know my methods aren't the most orthodox, my lord, but you can't deny their efficiency. You should remember that when you think this through…"

"Duly noted, my Lady."

Then the she-wolf got out of the mysterious room, brushing grey strands of hair from her shoulder, with a stern expression on her features, until she spotted Rin, standing in the middle of the corridor, staring at her blankly.

"My Lady...It is a surprise to see you up so late. Young humans such as you need their beauty sleep", she said with a smile, turquoise eye watching the cup in her hands.

Rin smiled with slight uneasiness. "I was going back in my room. I never meant to pry…", Rin felt compelled to reply.

"I believe you, never saw you as the sneaky type…", Miyah observed with casualness, then frowned her single eye in concern. "Are you feeling alright? You look under the weather…"

"I am fine…just a little discomfort…"

"For queasiness, I am told raspberry leaf is the best", observed the she-wolf with a doubting gaze.

Rin frowned. She was not in the mood to reply to such a tricky comment "…Good night my lady."

Then she got away from the hanyou lady hurriedly, considered getting back to her room without bothering Sesshomaru, but amber eyes staring at her as she passed in front of the doorframe and a little nod inviting her to come inside told her otherwise. She took a step back and got in; inspecting the room she had never seen before, not that big…a bit stuffy in fact. A massive wooden desk occupied it, with a window at its right. There were two other seats in front of his desk. It did look cozy…

"Please close the door", he said with slight exasperation.

She nodded and slid it shut, before taking a few steps and sitting in front of him. "What is this place?"

"My personal work space."

She took a sip of her tea. "I didn't know you had one. You always go in the study…"

"I only come here when I require privacy", he explained monotonously, before glancing at the cup in Rin's hands. He frowned. "It is the first time I find you sleepless…"

"I am fine", she replied, with a clipped tone.

"Are you sure? I heard Lady Miyah imply…"

"She doesn't know what she's talking about", retorted Rin bluntly.

Sesshomaru repressed a smirk. "…Certainly you must know why she is curious …"

Rin sighed with disquiet, not sure she actually wanted to talk about Lady Miyah's personal interests regarding what is going on in her womb. "I am fine…I just…had a dream…"

Only then he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and her scowl. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Are you certain?"

"Why do you insist?"

"I hate to see you troubled."

Her lips became a thin line, and then she sighed in defeat, putting down her cup. "I dreamed that we were getting married in my village…", she started shyly.

She tried to ignore the piercing gaze she got as soon as the "married" word got out of her mouth.

"I was also with child and in labour. Then you called me empress and I was all confused and I fell into a pond and looked at myself and and…" She hid her face in her hands. "I was Lady Amane! "

She heard the sound of chuckles. She lowered her hands just enough for her eyes to see Sesshomaru show teeth for a very brief moment, before regaining his cold demeanour. She would normally be mad that he be amused by her misfortune, but she was too shocked by the fact she got to see him laugh. He should really do it more… Kami she felt as if she was about to faint from the sight!

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "So…I was getting married to Lady Amane?"

"Yes!"

"But you were Lady Amane?"

"Exactly! And and…there was even a children version of me in the crowd…telling you to step away, and glaring at me, I mean the…Amane-me…", she mumbled nervously.

He stretched out his arm to take her hand reassuringly, features now looking very serious." I shall not call you empress during foreplay ever again."

A smile cracked on her face.

He leaned in the back of his chair, darting her with his piercing gaze again. "Do you fear commitment, Rin?"

She blushed and looked down. "W-well n-n-no…No!", she replied defensively.

He stared at her, unconvinced.

Her shoulders fell. "Hum …" She sighed. "I don't know…I-I'm not. I just think that…"

And then she paused; looking very unsure of what she was about to say.

"Forget it…" he replied suddenly, eyes getting back to a paper in front of him. "Dreams are just jests of the soul. Do not let this trouble you."

Nice try…but that reply was not going to remove the lingering awkwardness… said the inner voice at the back of Rin's mind.

"…What would happen if I were to fall pregnant now?", Rin blurted out before she could stop herself. "They all want to know if a child of my mine can be heir, but if I am not the Lady…"

"Your status is irrelevant", he finished while glancing back at her. "Our first child heir of the West, Rin, no matter what…", he added, seemingly puzzled that she even voiced that question.

Her eyes widened. He had never been that clear about it, but she had never asked either. She had never been in a hurry to know… She had assumed until now that it would take years before she would willingly risk a pregnancy. In fact, she had always thought until yesterday that a hanyou child would be bad news for everyone…

But Sesshomaru had given her a mysterious little look when she had the orphan boy on her lap during the audiences. After he had dropped the bomb that he would cherish and protect every child she would bear …And now he confirmed her today that her firstborn would be heir!

…It seemed that her assumptions had been wrong all along…"_Bravo Rin"_…the little voice in her head told her while clapping hands in such a sarcastic manner…

Did he even know she was still taking moon tea? She felt her heartbeat speed up. "You did dodge the question about…_it_ yesterday…", she replied nervously.

"I thought it better to leave the official statements for a moment we will have something to announce", he explained while crossing arms in a casual manner. "But I doubt anything we would say be a surprise to anyone at court: you have already tried most of the tasks the Lady of the West must attend to…and you have done great." And then he looked out the window mysteriously. "…Even my mother must have stopped deluding herself…"

Rin stopped listening (and breathing). Sure…he did involve her in more things than before, in fact he seldom went anywhere without her holding his arm but… Was she actually already the Lady of the West, without even knowing?

And even then …when she looked at herself in the mirror that night… her hair had not changed colour. She still received Kagome's letters. She still liked flowers, melons and to sing during her baths. She still hated bandits, powder and high okobos... How odd was that? Does that mean she will always feel the same, no matter what her title will be?

Suddenly, she remembered how she barely got out of her chambers on her first days here, crying every night, blushing every ten seconds, thinking she was bland when compared to anyone else…Never at that time, she would have imagined how her life could take such a drastic turn…

And then she thought back about what Sesshomaru had told her… Was that what he meant when he said that her soul would turn inside out?

She shook her head and smiled reassuringly. "What was Lady Miyah doing here in the middle of the night?"

Sesshomaru's features stiffened almost instantly, as he leaned his chin on his hand. "Didn't you have enough emotions for one night?"

"Well, you just picked my curiosity now…"

He narrowed his eyes. "If I tell you…your night is definitely over."

Rin frowned worriedly. "Is it that bad?"

He took a deep breath. "I didn't need another predicament on top of my pile", he retorted with eyes closed.

Rin looked at him. Yes it was that bad…

"Please tell me."

He threw a letter towards her, examining carefully her reaction and she took it in her hands. Rin frowned as she read the small writing…about a meeting Lady Miyah held with her council…saying there is a need for Kun'Ketsu for further safeguards…and then her eyes widened.

…_and for these reasons, my lord, and in light of the request that have been made_

_to you about the Northwest's fate, if you ever decided to grant their plea and take _

_over, we hereby ask for the Kun'Ketsu Islands to become an official province of your _

_Lands as well, so we can prosper, all of the West united, against foreign threats._

_We shall be waiting impatiently for your answer._

_Cordially,_

_Decisional Board of the Free Islands_

_Alliance of Kun'Ketsu _

"Kami!"

Sesshomaru frowned. "…And she had the nerve to pretend she knew nothing of Kazuo's request. The truth is that she has known for a long while…and waiting the best moment to voice that Kun'Ketsu is also willing to drop power to weaken the Heartlands…"

Rin gasped. Now that she thought about it, Miyah did look a bit nervous during the dinner, especially when the Lady Mother had talked about their alliance…

"…Her inhabitants are now safe because of our alliance, but the blue ships have been troubling the northern sea so much since they caught her spies that she has been pressured to ask for further protection…complete protection, that is. Her people and member of her council are tired of troubles with the Heartlands and just want to keep doing their commercial activities without fears...That won't happen if she doesn't have any strong allies to protect the northern sea…"

"But…I thought they hated to be associated with demons!"

Sesshomaru smirked. "Not her subjects, neither her council…that's just Lady Miyah I think. She did mention she was hoping we would accept the North's annexation without questioning and that we would wipe Amane's forces from the Northern lands and seas on our own … But now that she sees how sceptical we are about Kazuo and Yuudai's request, she had to play the card she would have preferred to avoid. She hopes Kun'Ketsu's ships and coins will fire up our enthusiasm for an expansion of the Western Lands"

Rin blinked. "Kun'Ketsu is rich, right? Having them as subjects would bring you a lot of coins?"

His eyes narrowed as he looked out the window. "More than enough to sustain the North."

…

Rin discreetly dipped her quill in the ink pot and drew more lines on her piece of paper, bit of her tongue out of her mouth displaying her high concentration on her center of interest: a drawing of every vassal in the room…It was the only mean she found to keep her mind occupied and avoid insanity after fifteen long hours (and still counting) of debates…of hearing the same things being repeated all the time in ten different fashions by most of the participants…She had been warned before that these meetings sometimes lasted days without any real interruptions, and she started to think that today…was going to be the case…

The longer it took, the more uncomfortable she felt. They were in a small room in the dungeons to minimize the risks of common servants hearing them talk of their schemes. It was a very cool place and she only had a light furisode that had made her freeze all day long…The table was small and narrow, leaving not much space for their occupants, Rin cruelly stuck between Sesshomaru at the end of the table and Tenmaru next to her, both of them…not exactly the shortest people in the room, leaving her no place for her own legs…already sore from her late night activities…and now they had gone numb…

She supposed it couldn't be helped; the subjects discussed were even more controversial than expected. Sesshomaru decided to consult them on the possible annexation of the Northwest and the Kun'Ketsu Islands in one go…meaning that they would need to rename to Western Lands, but…that was a trivial matter compared to the main topic…

Anyway…Back to the drawing. First sketch Rin did was of the wind demoness Tatsumaki. Rin took the time to put the lines of frustration between her narrow eyebrows, long dark hair a bit dishevelled because of the way she was turning her head while arguing with different people, including Baron Hatsuno and the Lady Mother. The duchess wasted no time bringing up the benefits of royalties increase, which would give them the means of erecting complete high walls on the eastern borders…but the Lady Mother did bring up that these barriers take years to build and that it wouldn't protect the borders against short term retaliation.

Surprisingly, Tenmaru had been a fierce ally to the wind demoness in that debate. Rin had drawn him from a profile point of view, with an accusing index finger pointed to the Baron Hatsuno…Sesshomaru's cousin more assertive (and grouchy) than his usual fashion today… Being one of the first who started having snakes invasions on his fief, he was also of the view that inaction was not the best strategy. Sesshomaru had also informed Rin that Tenmaru had wished to have an extension of his own fief for a while, but that was left untold from the public debate.

In front of him stood baron Hatsuno, the strongest opponents to all these annexations, Rin drawing his old features with a scowl, arms crossed. He repeated that he received numerous complaints of the peasants about the disturbance caused by the commercial highway. He was not willing to deploy part of his troops to the North to realize Kazuo's little scheme, under the pretence that he needed them to insure safety in case of rebellions. At that Sesshomaru asked him if his troops had been used for such matters recently, and the baron answered negatively. Then Sesshomaru asked his vassal what were his warriors' occupations, now that the coast had a fleet, and Hatsuno had to confirm the two thirds of his fighters were…not very busy (apparently playing Cho'Han, according to Tatsumaki, who didn't seem to be Hatsuno's friend anymore). And at last Sesshomaru had asked him what he intended to do to compensate his subjects, and Hatsuno replied that such compensations couldn't come from his budget. At that Sesshomaru had thrown him quite a violent glare, said he had enough of "absence of relevant results" and announced that he would "see for himself how bad the situation is on the wealthiest part of his lands, once the situation with the North is settled".

In the end, Tenmaru suggested providing the most of his army for the false attack that would need to be launched on the Northwest, and then Rin had heard him mutter something about Hatsuno being a "sack of shit"…

The two foxes were not very talkative. Rin had drawn them was uncertain expressions: Nozomi's eyebrows a bit higher than usual and her eyes a bit larger, while her mentor Kireru was scratching the back of his head, something he had done quite often that day. The South had been very quiet since a while, and so, they didn't necessarily have direct interests in the issue at hand, except for the fact that it would increase the risks of an official declaration of war with the Heartlands. However, Rin did notice that Nozomi was receptive to everyone's arguments, and possibly inclined to favour an intervention, because she didn't like the tales of peasants being massacred up North because of their blood. Kireru was colder to the idea. He was concerned that the Western Lands could possibly lack warriors to keep the Northwest safe, being such a big parcel of new territory it would be.

And that left the Lord and Lady of the Western Lands, not very expressive, or enthusiastic, for that matter. Rin couldn't have guessed Sesshomaru and Sasori's point of views based on their facial expression, but she guessed that the Lady Mother was surely against any intervention. She had drawn her with one of her stereotypical expression, her lips a thin line in what was a display of scepticism, with a sideways glance at her neighbour Tatsumaki.

But Sesshomaru…her little finger told her he might be more enthusiastic than he seemed. He did bring up that these annexations would double the Western Lands' budget... Rin hadn't drawn him yet… she was now working on master Jaken, always very quiet during the meetings, but she knew he would talk during the break. Being Sesshomaru's personal lackey meant that his master was the only one who truly valued his opinions. Rin decided to be quiet too. Of course, she had a few things to say. In fact, she thought that many people around the table only had opportunistic points of view and she felt that such an important debate shouldn't be solely about everyone's personal interests…but she had been there for a few months only, while most of the others had served the Western Lands for centuries…She wasn't sure it was right for her to start criticizing them…

"What's that?", a voice whispered.

She glanced at Tenmaru, her eyes widening as he stole her quill.

"The lapfrog is much uglier than that", he said with a smirk, adding wrinkles on Jaken's forehead.

She stole back her quill with a slight smile. "Don't be mean to master Jaken…"

Tenmaru kept examining her drawing, frowning.

"How can you picture me without my delightful smile?"

"That was your expression when I drew you earlier…"

"I don't look like that."

"Today, you do."

He huffed. "I blame the lack of sleep. It is a known fact I am the incarnation of handsome."

Rin raised an eyebrow, wisps of mock on her feature. "Lack of sleep? You fell asleep on Yuudai's shoulder!"

He crossed his arms with a vexed expression. "Even gentlemen such as I require inebriation once in a while…"

Rin glanced at him sceptically. "Stop beating around the bush… Why the grumpy face Tenmaru?"

He frowned in annoyance. "Trust me these are things a fair lady shouldn't hear about…" Devious smirk spread on his lips. "Why don't you draw your beloved mate now?"

Sesshomaru looked at them suspiciously; very well aware they were now talking about him. Rin gasped and tried to hide her drawing, but he viciously dropped his index finger on it and brought the piece of paper slowly in front of him.

He looked down at it and darted her with a condescending sideways glance. "What doltishness is that?"

She pulled out her tongue. "I swear you demons are so slow with your debates I will start getting white hair by the time you are done!"

He looked down at it again with mild interest. "Jaken has bigger eyes than that…"

Tenmaru snickered.

"What's so funny, dear nephew?", inquired the Lady Mother with slight irritation.

He flinched. "Nothing at all, dear aunt", he replied with an innocent smile.

"You men have been staring at Rin's scribbling instead of following the discussion", she observed. "Maybe you could share with us her enlightening work?"

Rin gasped while Sesshomaru snatched the sheet and hid it somewhere, never to be found again. "I do not see the point to pursue this debate further. Be back by midnight."

Everyone stood up, seemingly intent on leaving the room, including the Lady Mother. Rin found that surprising. She usually stayed at the breaks…

Tenmaru smirked. "Sweet Rin…you see what I see?" He pointed at the doorframe, eyes widening in glee. "At last! Here's your chance!"

Rin blinked. "And what do you mean by that?"

He crept closer, as if seemingly wanting to say something taboo. "Her sacred seat! It's free! Run for it! Ruuuuun!", he exclaimed, one hand in her back pushing her towards the other end of the table.

Horror crossed her features. "What are you crazy?!"

He laughed a bit evilly.

"Tenmaru …", warned Sesshomaru with apparent annoyance in his voice.

His cousin displayed cockiness. "What? You should thank me for voicing out loud your ultimate fantasy!"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "I don't care about your jesting. Just take your hand off her and leave."

The cousin blinked, snatched his hand away from Rin's back as if she was made in acid. "Of course, _milord_. May you revel of your _Lady_'s sweet voice and advises while I get lost with your other subjects", he replied in a false formal manner, bowing and leaving swiftly.

Without the need to be told, Rin followed Sesshomaru. Jaken had already put a huge map on the table. There were red markings on it…showing the possible new frontiers, in case they accepted to move on with the propositions. Rin contemplated how the new "Western Empire" would actually have a comparable size to the Central Lands, and possibly even bigger, if they lost a part of the East as well…but that was not written, since that story was supposed to be secret for now…

"Speak Jaken", prompted Sesshomaru.

The imp blinked his protruding eyes. "My lord…ahem…odds of losing such a battle looks thin…especially since we have found a report this afternoon confirming uncertainty in the East…the blue banshee might be distracted by the rambling close to the other sea…"

Rin gasped and glanced at Sesshomaru, who was holding his chin pensively. Jaken seemed completely oblivious of the importance of what he had just said…That report did seem to confirm Kazuo's predictions…

"And…", Jaken cleared his throat and swelled his chest. "You would achieve the biggest land increase in the entire history of the West! You would be famous and renowned for it. You would surpass not only your late father, but every one of your ancestors!"

Sesshomaru frowned in annoyance. "Do you imply I should intervene purely for fame?"

The toad widened his eyes in fear and bowed. "Of course not, my lord. My apologies. But you have no reason to decline, considering your immense power and prowess on the battlefield. You have the skills and wisdom to rule such a vast empire!"

The Lord of the Western Lands looked partially soothed by his lackey's compliments. He glanced at Rin with quiet curiosity.

She frowned with uneasiness. "I am not certain it is wise for me to take position, my lord…"

_My lord _felt so odd on her tongue now…

"Why not?", he insisted.

"I have not been here for very long…and I am human…", She crossed her arms. "It could cloud my judgement. I can't stay insensitive if humans and hanyous are threatened."

"Everyone's judgement is flawed for different reasons…", he reassured with softer features.

She nodded, and looked at the door with embarrassment. "I must first ask a question…"

"Yes?"

"What about your duty? We talked for hours of the risks for the Western Lands…but as a Lord, don't you have some sort of obligation to protect the peace?"

He frowned with curiosity. "The prime obligation of a lord is to provide protection to his subjects…"

"Of course…but I was wondering if there are situations in which those obligations can surpass the boundaries of your lands. From what Lady Nao and general Yuudai said, it looks like a civil war up North. Lady Amane not only failed protecting her own people, but she goes against her duties…"

The Lady Mother chose that moment to step in without Rin noticing. Sesshomaru smirked at his mate's observations, but Rin wasn't sure why...

She blushed. "W-well I know Lady Amane may not consider human, hanyous and their sympathizers as her subjects…but if we do nothing to stop her…isn't it as if we accept and defend her horrible intentions towards hanyous and humans? If she doesn't want to protect all her land's inhabitants, maybe she is not worthy of being their ruler…"

He nodded. "You shouldn't have waited to express your views. There is a need for more reminders such as these around here."

"So you have this sort of duty?"

"Being the most powerful and closest authority left unconquered by the Heartlands, we are the only ones left capable of helping those of suffer in the North, and possibly all the others of foreign lands who suffer, all due to Amane's agenda. Inaction becomes increasingly hard to defend in these circumstances", he observed pensively. "There is also the undeniable fact that if everything goes as according to plan…it will wipe out Lady Amane's supremacy. That would serve more people than it would harm…"

Rin nodded pensively. "So you want to do it then? And the Western Lands will not solely be of purebloods anymore?"

He looked at the map. "What seemed like idle talk at the wedding seems to have become an obsession for Lady Amane. I think her twisted agenda and imperialism have gone too far..."

Jaken cleared his throat. "My lord, should I fetch your councillors?"

"Yes, the generals and Lady Miyah as well…"

"At once!"

Rin only then noticed the Lady Mother's presence. She was looking at the map pensively too, with her narrowed eyes…

"Sasori-sama?"

"Hmmm?"

"How long have you been here?"

"A while, little Rin. You should train your ears more…"

"Aren't you going to say something?"

The Lady Mother scoffed. "What would you like me to say?"

Rin looked at her worriedly. "Well…the issue at stake are critical…"

Sasori smiled icily. "You were bored because we've been rambling all day. I've repeated myself for centuries now. I was in such meetings even before your mate was in my womb…"

Rin just blinked, not knowing what to say.

The Lady Mother smiled pleasantly, while both got away from the men talking. "I liked your furisode yesterday. It was such a rich red…Would you mind if I used the same fabric for a new uchikake?"

Then Rin heard Sesshomaru from a distance ask general Kazuo a surprising question about the Central Lands' heir. She tried to look at them in hopes to hear the answer, but it was lost in the room's hubbub…

"…I wouldn't mind at all Sasori-sama…", Rin answered a bit absently, "but…I didn't know you liked red…"

She shrugged. "Hmmm…there is way too much purple in my wardrobe…"

Rin blinked again. "Oh…I see…"

Then she noticed that the people gathered around the map had started gesticulating vividly.

"Oh they are talking boring strategy matters", observed the Lady Mother, while hiding her hands in her sleeves.

"Why do they need to talk strategy if the fight is going to be a set up anyway?", wondered Rin with curiosity.

Sasori shrugged casually. "I suppose they want to make it credible…but it might also be that they just like to play little boys at war..."

"I want to go see…"

"Suit yourself, battlefield tactics have always irked me…", the demoness observed with a yawn, walking away.

Rin carefully approached the crowd and noticed how knit tight they were, Sesshomaru currently talking with general Yuudai next to him. Tenmaru noticed her arrival and got closer to Lady Nao, so she could have a spot to his left…allowing her to sneak in…

And only then she noticed that her other neighbour was general Kazuo. He nodded and smiled in a friendly manner…

"What a pleasant surprise", he commented in a whisper.

"I hope the rest of your stay in a cell wasn't so bad?", Rin inquired while brushing away a lock of hair from her face.

"Easily forgotten now that I am in good company", he added, before getting back to the main topic.

Tenmaru raised a discreet eyebrow at the young general.

"My lord, a surprise attack on Kuno seems like a wise first move. But our troops are so exhausted, I would prefer that it be you who strikes that town…while we could work on the Katari area with Lady Miyah", said general Yuudai, while sliding a hand through his hair.

"That can be arranged…How many of your men can be expected in Kuno, general Kazuo?", inquired Sesshomaru.

"About a thousand, my lord…"

The inuyoukai frowned. "Will these numbers be reduced before we get there?"

Kazuo raised his arm to scratch his head, elbow accidentally brushing against Rin's arm in the process. She took one step to Tenmaru's side.

"My flexibility will depend of Lady Amane's punctual requests. It could stay the same or drop by half if I can…"

Sesshomaru frowned. "If you want to reduce casualties, you will have to drop it…"

"I believe it would be wiser to make my troops retreat once you strike …"

"I thought your warriors are not prone to accept failure on the battlefield", insisted Sesshomaru, crossing his arms.

"Yes…we've tried to save one of them once, but he performed the seppuku…He was so young…", Rin couldn't help but add, looking saddened.

Kazuo shook his head. "These practices vary with the level of fervour. It did drop a lot as of late…", he added, glancing at Rin sympathetically.

For some reason, hearing that reassured her a lot. She smiled at her neighbour.

Sesshomaru nodded, with a discreet glance towards them. "Fair enough. Let's prepare to face a thousand men…Tenmaru, we'll be using a significant portion of your army…Any suggestions?"

Tenmaru cracked his knuckles, clearly self-assured.

"We could create a distraction with a first group using the main road towards the North…right there in front of sweet Rin", he pointed with a suspicious sideways glance in her direction. She started and brought back her attention to the map. "That army would move slowly to catch general Kazuo's attention", he explained while he kept showing their possible itinerary on the map, completely unaware of the place he took, Rin trying to move away from him a little to give him some space "…while we have another group passing by Cirrus Hill, reaching Kuno from the rear…and getting in like a breeze", he finished, stretching the most as he could, upper arm now brushing against Rin's.

Sesshomaru pretended not to notice his lecherous vassal's closeness with his mate. Rin did the same.

"Kuno has only two openings in its high walls: North and South", replied Kazuo, moving also to show the locations of the two doors, elbow touching Rin's again, she definitely started to feel assaulted. "We also have defense outside the walls", he added, now his entire arm brushing against hers "You will have a hard time overwhelming us with one simple rear attack…"

Sesshomaru couldn't take it anymore and raised an eyebrow in annoyance. His cousin deliberately avoided his gaze, while Kazuo just looked completely oblivious to the situation. Rin took a step back and crossed her arms with unease, hoping she wasn't blushing. She didn't need to be so close to the map anyway…

Her departure gave the perfect opportunity for Tenmaru to smirk at the general. "Too much defense you say? No problem! Just disguise some of your guys in nomads, and send them on the Western Lands. We won't blame you, it's not like the Central Lands has any responsibility to check their wildings anyway..."

The lynx general scoffed. "Yeah we know this fallacious strategy all too well! Up North we call it the blue plague!"

"Amane's slips around here", replied Sesshomaru with a sideways glance.

"Or Amane's leaks", added Tenmaru.

He, general Yuudai and a few vassals behind laughed obnoxiously, while Kazuo blushed and scratched the back of his head, looking like he just wanted to disappear. Rin suddenly thought the others looked quite laddish.

"Oh come on guys! Is that how you thank general Kazuo for helping us out?", she asked defensively.

The young man cleared his throat, trying to regain some dignity. "I was going to add that a two-step surprise attack can work, but if you have troops moving very visibly on the northern highway, my scouts will see you so early it will be expected of me that I ask for reinforcements…Can't you find a way to avoid that?"

"Why not a spiral assault?", suggested Sesshomaru. "Two groups using discreet paths in the wilds: one coming from the hidden sea road will attack the back entrance instead of the main one, forcing you to move a lot of your men around… while our other group using the Cirrus Hill trail strikes shortly after…from the front."

Kazuo nodded. "That would definitely create a chaotic situation for us. That is brilliant. Just be careful with the hidden sea road…it is known to have a few nest of wild birds around it…and maybe a few snakes."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "What kind of snakes?"

Kazuo looked uneasy. "A bit of everything…but…I'd be amazed if you see any of them…The birds are much worse. Just make sure to have a few decent archers…"

"So we forget the main road?", wondered Tenmaru.

"Discreet routes are less precarious as general Kazuo mentioned…"

The cousin shrugged "I am sure one of your top generals wouldn't mind playing the adventurer…and you could move so quickly using the main road…"

"Why do you insist so much to take the northern highway? Are you itching for a bloodbath?", Sesshomaru asked sarcastically.

Rin heard a few people snicker.

"Ahem… I'll pass…", Tenmaru replied with a tense smirk.

"I do not mind being the one in charge of the group using the sea road, but someone else will have to take the lead on the second one", insisted Sesshomaru, with a piercing sideways glance at his cousin.

A flash of horror was seen in his interlocutor's eyes. "Use one of my generals, that's why they're paid for…"

"Well well…I didn't know you were an armchair demon Tenmaru!", taunted general Yuudai.

Rin heard people snorts again.

"Seriously son you shouldn't use him to lead an army. You know the battlefield is not his cup of tea", added the Lady Mother, suddenly intent to intervene.

The cousin glared at her. Now Rin started to feel sorry for him too. That meeting was so anarchic…

"We'll need someone who can watch over supply deliveries", Tenmaru added, trying to change the subject. "Girls are good for that sort of stuff…"

"Did you just say you would like to take the girly supplies job?!", wondered Tatsumaki, creating a few eruptions of laughers.

Rin noticed that Kazuo was trying hard to hide his amusement, while Sesshomaru looked clearly annoyed. Tenmaru was now red with anger.

"OKAY FINE I'll lead the second group damn it!", he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air dramatically.

"I am not sure this is a good idea", insisted the Lady Mother, narrowing her eyes.

"We'll use a substantive proportion of his men. It is his duty as Warden of the Northern regions to lead them", Sesshomaru argued with dryness.

Sasori blinked indifferently. "If you want a vassal to lead an army…why not send Kireru instead? It's not his specialty, but he can manage…"

"I say I'll DO IT!", exclaimed Tenmaru with high vexation. "You people are unbelievably mean to me!"

"I promise I will not be too hard on you if we cross swords", added Kazuo with a sympathetic smile, but he was clearly enjoying the situation.

Tenmaru face palmed. "Can we get back to the supplies?"

"Why do we need to send supplies anyway?", wondered Rin, collaborative in his attempts to change the subject.

"Many humans are in bad shape and some demons are so sick or injured in that region that even their regeneration skills may not save them", explained Lady Nao with a concerned expression.

"We can send supplies by boat once the conquest is done, but we will arrive a few days late", added Lady Miyah.

"Hence the need for us to provide too. So the Western Lands need a girl who is kind and compassionate -and preferably human- for the task", insisted Tenmaru.

Rin raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Preferably human you say?"

"That's his idiotic jesting again", explained Sesshomaru, while closing his eyes in irritation. "We need someone who can coordinate the delivery and provide assistance in the use of these supplies once the fight will be done. Most of it is for healing…"

"So you judge that I am the best person to do this?", she wondered with surprise.

"Well I assume your deeds when you lived with the humans were not so different. We don't have many healers knowledgeable with mortals and you can fight more efficiently than most of them…", answered Sesshomaru. "Nozomi could assist you in the coordination, since we'll need her for scouting on our way up there."

Rin grinned. "Well okay then, I'll do it!"

"If she's that good with weapons, you should just let her lead Tenmaru's army too", joked Tatsumaki with a sadistic smirk.

At that last eruption of laughers, Tenmaru just stormed off from the room, not able to take it anymore.

And then Sesshomaru dismissed them all before he could start slitting heads off.

…

It was a late, moonless night. Lady Sasori was sitting in the study, using one of the desks…the one closest to the front door, a mean for her to face anyone who might get in. It had always seemed to her as common courtesy to announce her presence when she was in the room. It was easier for the servants without keen noses to spot her when she was needed (not that it happened very often these days), and simpler to greet whoever was getting in. It was a practical, neat way of doing things.

A few candles dimly lighted the desk, so the Lady Mother may sort out a pile of letters that needed attention (Sesshomaru did slack off on the mail these days…). She found some correspondence for Rin, but not only from her human friends. There was one from Kizuisen, probably a thank you note for thanking care of her marital drama…

There were also two letters of consorts for Sesshomaru, and the Lady Mother knew there would be more. Many more. She stared at the new pile she just did to her right for the consort-related requests and leaned her chin on her hand, wondering if there was going to be a day they will stop receiving these sort of letters. Maybe Sesshomaru will succeed denying every woman of the Western Lands someday…

…She briefly considered burning these two letters. This was one of the things she was the most tired of…searching the perfect consort for him…it was not like he cared anyway…

She scratched at her scalp with slight irritation. It was really… maddening her that night…She usually bore the discomfort of her tied hair in silence. It was important for her to stay elegant at every time of the day. But now it was quite late, and it was very possible that no one else would see her before the morrow…and who cared if only this once, she looked a little unruly. And so, she untied her hair to let them flow over her shoulders. After this brief moment of indulgence, she got back to work, and opened another envelope, trying very hard not to be overruled by boredom. Boredom lead to procrastination. Procrastination to negligence. And there was enough of one person not doing their duty around…

She raised her head when she heard footsteps slowly approaching. However, as she sensed who was coming by, she got back to her letters, pretending high concentration. Sesshomaru opened the door without knocking, or saying any form of politeness, for that matter. She stared back at him and smiled icily as she contemplated his seriousness.

Unlike her son, Sasori didn't like silence very much, and so, she broke it shamelessly. "…It is surprising to see you without your mate at this time of the night…Has she gone to bed early?"

He didn't dignify her with an answer.

She displayed slight annoyance at his stillness and got back to her papers. She hated how he always made her wait…She had other things to do than wait after him all the time…

"We need to talk", he finally said.

She smiled with slight amusement as she kept her citrine-coloured eyes on the papers, now writing an answer to some banal inquiry. "So…what am I up to this time?", she inquired with false playfulness.

Sesshomaru sat down in front of his mother, which slightly surprised her. He was not one to sit down to address her. She must be up to something very serious…

"I never apologized for calumniating you about Rin's abduction ", he stated.

Sasori stopped writing. She had pressed too much on the quill and now there was way a surplus of ink on the last word: making it unreadable. Her letter was ruined.

"It still amaze me that you thought me capable of willingly harming someone you care so much about…"

"I should have known better", he acknowledged with concealed uneasiness. "Forgive me."

She blinked and put back her quill in the inkpot, her eyes slowly going up to look at him, but his own amber irises were staring at something to his left. Since when does he apologize for anything? She thought he must have hit his head pretty hard…

Either that or…

"Has Rin sent you?"

He glanced back at her, with a deep frown. "Who do you think I am?", he inquired with a vexed tone.

She smiled icily and took back her quill, not quite believing he was genuine yet.

"You received mail, from Lady Shika and Lady Arisu, both inquiring about your interest in their regards…"

"Hmph."

"What should be the excuse this time?", she inquired while she looked out of the window… at the dark night.

He crossed his arms. "I have chosen another woman as my consort."

Sasori felt her heart skip a beat, her eyes slowly turning in his direction. He was staring at her this time, with a penetrating gaze. Her lips became a thin line; she got back to the papers in front of her, very well knowing where this discussion was going…

"It was my intention to delay our marriage until the Central Lands quiets down. But that might take years. If we are to take weapons against them, take the Northwest and Kun'Ketsu as part of our realm, I see no point for pointless postponements anymore…I thought I at least owed you the courtesy of letting you know, so you may cease your search for your successor. "

It was much earlier than she had anticipated. Why such urgency? Rin was not going anywhere anyway…was he afraid that she would run away or something?

It's not like the Lady Mother cared…he shouldn't do this in the first place….

"It is senseless, my son", Sasori commented flatly.

She knew she lacked of conviction. She didn't even convince herself this time. "Senseless and dangerous…", she added.

"Perhaps chancy. But she is worthy of the title and you know it", he replied coldly.

Sasori was not going to argue with him on this matter. She examined him with great attention. "Our bloodline is among the purest, the most powerful of demonkind. If a mortal commoner births the heir, your descendant will be weaker than you. His authority may be challenged...You may have to defend him constantly…"

"I don't care. I will fight for my bloodline if I must."

She narrowed her eyes. "You are happy together. What you have is working, even if she is just your mate. You wouldn't even have to care about your demon consort…"

His gaze was piercing. Stabbing. "Rin is perfect in the Lady's seat. It will be hers soon. I will make sure of that."

Sasori shook her head. "Why do you choose such a perilous path, Sesshomaru?"

He glanced at his own hands for an instant. It took so long that his mother had stopped waiting for his answer, getting back to her paperworks.

"Because I love her."

The Lady Mother stared back at him, locking eyes with those of her sole offspring, unblinking and shocked. He who had called his father foolish because of his fling with the mortal woman…was now taking such important choices…based on…love?!

She scoffed icily, while trying to write her inquiry again with a new peace of paper. Why was she even shocked, she wondered? It was quite obvious…Thought she had never expected him to actually voice it…

"…_Love…_?" she inquired, the L word coming out with wisps of disdain as if she was talking of a nasty disease.

"Yes."

"Please enlighten me. Why is everyone fussing about love?"

His features softened, while he looked at one of the little flame of the candles on the desk. "I thought…you would have known…"

Her fingers twitched again. Another letter ruined…Gods…She glanced at her trembling index finger and dropped the quill for good.

Sesshomaru watched his mother. "I want to be with Rin as long as possible. I want to protect her until her last breath, for I know everything will be unbearably dull once she will be gone…"

Sasori looked at the candles. "Your father also said things like that about his mortal lover. He insisted a lot on the urge to protect…That part at least I can understand…", she observed with wisps of gloom.

Sesshomaru remained expressionless. "I wish you would understand it all."

Her lemony eyes went up to her son again, a sudden mysterious smile budding on her lips. "Did you confess your love to her?"

He blinked twice, and decided to dignify her with a nod.

She held her chin pensively, gulf of unpleasant feeling twisting her insides. "Your father never said these words to me…"

Sesshomaru glanced down, obviously not going to say anything, but Sasori guessed it was disappointment on his features. He always made that face when he lost a competition when he was a boy…

She huffed. "I may have regrets, but not experiencing love is not one", she added matter-of-factly. "I was taught that love is a curse...a feel for weaklings and humans only. Besides…", she paused a moment. "…I had a good life. Not perfect. But much better than anything I could ever have wished for if Inu Taisho had picked another woman as his consort. He was a charming husband…dutiful to me for centuries…though we had many disagreements…"

Her smile earned hints of playfulness. "I always knew this Rin was slier than she looked…but I never thought she would make waves as such…"

Her son raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I always found her amiable and full of potential, but I thought that her mortal blood was saddening. I was hoping we could fit her somewhere discreet so you could be together without making a scandal…" She narrowed her eyes. "I never thought you would be willing to transform our lands for her…"

He frowned. "My choices for the Western Lands and my personal life are distinct matters."

"Nonsense Sesshomaru. You would never have taken a deal with half-breeds, and even less considered taking them in our lands if she hadn't been there."

He didn't answer.

She smiled slightly. "I thought that your infatuation was out of control when you got back from Kun'Ketsu… but…the nature of your involvement with Rin has changed a lot since then…" She crossed her arms under her sleeves. "You have found the right balance, using her to enhance your charm, instead of undermining your credibility. There were many moments yesterday during which you reminded me of your father during his best years…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Am I hearing voices or have I just heard compliments?"

She scoffed. "I thought our people would be revolted by your involvement with a mortal! But on the contrary, you have become…quite loved instead. They sing about you two in the entire realm…"

"…They started to sing before we were even involved…", he observed with a slight smirk.

Sasori looked down and sighed. "It seems you and Rin are strengthening each other. She gives you some kindness, while you give her more strength. I never experimented that sort of complicity with your father…and I don't think he did with Izayoi either. What you share is unique."

Sesshomaru's features softened. "I think she is afraid of becoming a ruler…"

His mother scoffed. "Of course son, she is still so young! I wasn't very old either, when I became Inu Taisho's consort. I was scared too…but Rin has already bloomed before our very own eyes to become the perfect Lady...How she has done that so quickly I still don't understand. She will manage..."

The ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. He crossed his arms. "I was expecting that you would oppose…"

She narrowed her eyes. "Even as endearing as she is, I must admit the Lady in me is a little insulted to be replaced by a commoner and a mortal…" She sighed. "I didn't think it was necessary for Rin to become the Lady of the West for you both to be happy, but I see no point to keep arguing. Since you intend to play conqueror with hanyous, I suppose a human bride fits with the rest…At least she has a good enough temper to be able to bear you" Seriousness switched to worry. "Besides, if we are going at war…I would rather see you content and confident than the other way around. If we are all going to die, we should rather laugh while we're at it than cry about it…"

He frowned. "Always so optimistic I see…"

She smirked. "Until my last breath I fear…". She sighed. "Hopefully…maybe we can finish this all in one piece…"

He stood up. "I have good faith. For once, you should too, mother…"

She nodded back. "When do you plan to wed?", she asked as he put his hand on the door handle.

"When she is ready."

"You know what lords usually do, when they sense danger nearby…", she replied with a low voice.

He nodded, yet uncertain about it. "In due time, I shall discuss these matters with Rin…"

"If you at least chose the moment you would like to wed, I could start working on it. It is not everyday a Lord of the Western Lands marry after all…"

He glanced at the pile of letters next to her. "In the meantime, maybe you should actually leave that pile of trash and rest yourself…"

She raised an eyebrow. "You are usually not one to value sleep very much…"

"I must have changed…as you say…", he replied elusively as he slid the door open and walked out.

"Son, wait."

He stopped in his tracks, hesitating before glancing back.

She looked at the candles, then back at him. "I know I have been hard on you…but certainly you must know that it is because you are my pride."

From the look on his face, she knew he didn't know what to say.

She smiled with reserve. "I hope you rest well Sesshomaru."

He nodded. "Good night."

Sasori stared at the door for a moment, mind spinning with the revelation. She had dreaded it for months…that he would announce her this risky choice…

If only he had understood from day one, that it was not only about principles, but safety as well. She had wanted to protect him…protect him from a terrible fall…Izayoi had been Inu Taisho's fall…she didn't want this to happen again…but maybe that this time, like other times in the past, she had erred in her ways to watch over her son…

She sighed…glanced at the two letters next to her, took them between in fingers, and without even thinking, placed them gently over the candles and set them both aflame. Fire could have burned her fingers, had she not so acutely smothered the hungry flames with a few swings of her wrist.

Afterwards the Lady Mother felt a colossal tiredness numb her body and mind. She retired in her private quarters. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she felt her lemony eyes burn up with water, nor in spite, neither in disappointment. She wasn't certain what it was.

The only thing she was sure of is that it was the first time she indulged herself with tears for at least two centuries.

…

Sesshomaru always found the forests of the North a pleasant place, dominated by pines, leaving a pleasant and soothing fragrance. There were also multiples rivers between mountains, the climate cooler than on his domain. There even was a waterfall not too far, powerful sound of splashing water and remnants of the mist cooling down the air a tad more…

They had not crossed the borders of the Northern Territories yet, but they were going to soon. They had been gone for five days now, and their groups had not split up yet: that was not going to happen before they reach the Shinzu river. From that moment a first group would walk towards the coast, while the other one would go towards Cirrus Hill: this path being longer but much easier, while they could expect to cross bird wildings on the path close to the sea…

Right now, everything was going smoothly…The ambiance so relaxing it was almost perfect…Sesshomaru always loved going out of the castle. Everything was quieter away from his subjects, and he could muse in peace…

"_From the shadow of the woods by a quiet lakeside_…", he heard Rin sing.

He almost indulged himself with a smile. Rin's clear and melodic voice had always soothed him…and that evening in the wilderness, it felt like bliss to his ears.

"_A Cuckoo calls, "Isn't it time to wake up?",_ Nozomi sang back.

He didn't mind his vassal chiming in. She was not bad either, months of singing along with Rin sing in good synch.

Almost everything was perfect…almost…until he heard the obnoxious sound of a fly…but Sesshomaru was never their target.

BzzzzzzZZZzzzZZzzzzz

"Damn it!", Tenmaru exclaimed.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, trying hard not to sigh. His poor excuse for a relative attracted every possible bug of the forest. He could only assume it was because of his cousin's abuse of perfume and other artifices he wore purposely to attract any type of female beings…

Really…what was the point of abusive dapperness in the wilderness?! It was not like he was going to lure anything around here anyway…except maybe more bugs… bear demons in heat maybe?

"_From the shadow of the woods by a quiet lakeside_", sang Rin.

"_Good night" calls the owl_", added Nozomi.

TCHHH!

Now Sesshomaru couldn't repress the sigh. Tenmaru had taken out his whip again…to defeat a mere fly…He couldn't believe how he used his demonic skills for such a petty purpose.

And now Sesshomaru fancied using one of his skill for a petty purpose too. His fist. On that idiotic face. But instead he calmed himself. He couldn't…give in to every violent fantasy that crossed his mind…

In truth, Sesshomaru very well knew Tenmaru's idiocies were only a façade. Because his cousin spent his time charming women around, he did chit chat a lot, and he knew what was going on around the castle and in the lands in general…and that served the council many times (or just Sesshomaru, depending of the issue at hand). He was not bad for anything strategy-related either… He even had some leadership skills. Bark orders around, his cousin had no trouble with that…but he was so helpless when he had to take weapons on his own; it had reached a point Sesshomaru found unacceptable, especially since he knew his sibling was a powerful dog demon too…but not exploiting his skills wisely.

It was wrong. Power and strength are important component of demon hierarchy. If Tenmaru wanted an annexation of his fief with a part of the North, he needed to prove his worthiness…

The Lord of the Western Lands was sceptical to say the least. Tenmaru was a noble to the bones; best between four walls...he was quite an idler sometimes… But he had heard Rin talk in good of his cousin many times, that must have influenced him somehow. She kept saying that he was very helpful with her, when she needed to know things about the functioning of the court. Working together for the past few weeks, that meant she spent almost as much time with Tenmaru than with him…

Sesshomaru absently rested his hand on Bakusaiga's handle. Even though he knew his cousin would never cross the lines with his mate - being a fervent supporter of their relationship- , Sesshomaru's primal…possessive instincts labeled him as a threat. He had always found Tenmaru's ways to look at Rin a tad suspicious, from day one… He had never forgotten, at the wedding's banquet…how pleased he looked when he had put an arm around Rin's shoulder, and invited her to be his first paramour (Sesshomaru still wondered if that part had truly been just a jest…) He also hated how Tenmaru would whisper things to her ear from time to time (it was always jesting again of course, Sesshomaru always saw Rin giggle at whatever he would say…), but whispers to her ear were his thing…**His**…

His fingers were now holding his sword tight. He didn't like it at all when Tenmaru and general Kazuo were all over Rin the other day. From his point of view during the meeting (he had been in front of them), the way both men were looking at a distinct point on the map in front of her made it seem as if they were staring at …certain delicate parts of her anatomy…they had no right to look at as such…

Then he shrugged off his unhealthy trail of thoughts. He knew he could trust Rin entirely and he knew she wouldn't like it if he started killing people only because they touched her upper arms or elbows…and it was not as if he could gouge out every men's eyes who dared looking at her either…blinding three quarters of his court would prove way too troublesome for what it was worth…

"My lord", called a warrior, running towards Sesshomaru. "We have taken some advance on our itinerary."

The inuyoukai looked at his surroundings, noticing it was now close to nightfall. "Let us stop for the night."

"Really?", inquired Rin excitedly. "Can I make a fire?"

He nodded. "Enjoy it. It might be the last."

She nodded with a smile. "Let's find a nice spot then!"

…

"There!", exclaimed Rin, visibly satisfied. "Fire!"

"It is amazing it actually worked…it is quite damp with the waterfall nearby", commented Nozomi.

"That's the result of years of practice…and the help of master Jaken's staff", replied Rin with a grin.

Jaken huffed. "I can't believe the staff of the two heads has become a mere firelighter!"

Rin sat in front of it, satisfied of the flames licking vividly the pieces of wood and twigs, and removed her light armour (Sesshomaru had insisted that she wears a mean to protect her vitals). The other soldiers had lighted a few fires too. They probably won't be able to make any, once they cross the frontiers, to avoid attracting the wildlings…

Tenmaru chose that moment to show up, unsmiling, dragging his feet, posture a bit awkward because he was wearing a heavy metal armour and still not used to it. He sat at the base of a three, grimacing at roots making it uncomfortable for his standards, and slapped his hand as a bug tried to bite him again.

Rin had never seen him looking so grumpy.

"Oh sheesh I still can't believe this one shares blood with our master!", muttered Jaken.

"Why the sad face Tenmaru? Didn't you get over the mosquito's bites by now?", asked Rin genuinely.

"We just passed by my place this afternoon…", he explained with a scowl. He let his head fall down in discouragement. "We could have rested there…under my roof…warm and dry and with hot baths! And with my sweet Kishiko…"

"We'll stop there on our back", tried to reassure Rin.

He wrapped his arms around his legs and laid his forehead on his knees, as if he was about to grow mad. "I miss my wife…", he moaned.

"Why do you miss her so, don't you have _ladyfriends_ around the castle?", wondered Nozomi.

He didn't answer.

Sesshomaru joined them, removing his armour before sitting down next to Rin, his back comfortably leaned on a tree trunk.

"Nozomi", he started placidly. "Would you mind doing a stroll?"

"I was going to suggest it", she replied, standing up. "I sense there might be wildings coming closer."

He nodded. He had noticed too. "Bring a few men if you must."

She bowed and left without further ado.

"Should I worry?", wondered Rin.

He glanced at her and caressed her cheek tenderly. "Proper rest should be your only source of concern."

She smiled and snuggled up against his chest, while he wrapped a protective arm around her waist, both of them staring at the flames contently, no one intent to comment on the public exhibition of closeness.

"It is most surprising we haven't met a single filthy wildling yet…", observed Jaken.

"…Well thank Mr the _perfect_ general", Tenmaru retorted sourly, not even glancing up.

"…He is not in a very good mood!", whispered Rin to Jaken. "He misses his wife…"

Tenmaru curled up in a tight ball and spoke no more.

"Sheesh Rin what do you think we have? Human ears?", exclaimed Jaken.

Rin gasped. "Oh…I forgot again…"

"Jaken, be quiet.", warned Sesshomaru.

"I am sorry Tenmaru!", she replied sheepishly.

"Hn", was his only answer.

He sounded like Sesshomaru now…

Rin frowned as her mate started to stroke her hair discreetly.

She had never thought Tenmaru would be so sullen about this assignment, he was not exactly a child after all, and he was around Sesshomaru's age, from what she knew. Isn't it what he wanted in the first place? To have more power on the Western Lands? It was obvious Sesshomaru would never give him any if he never dirtied his hands…

Now she did start to understand better why Kireru called him a craven…She just hoped he was not going to screw everything up.

And after that the stroking of her hair and Sesshomaru's warmth has soothed her so much that she fell asleep.

…

The expression on his young vassal's face told him there was something to worry about. Sesshomaru gently put Rin down on his pelt and discreetly stood up to have a proper talk somewhere else, while Tenmaru stayed still in front of the fire, eyes closed. Sesshomaru found hard to believe he hadn't heard Nozomi come by…

He was having more and more difficulty fighting his urges to kill him on the spot.

"This is bad", whispered Nozomi, once they had gone far enough not to disturb anyone. "There are wildlings…a lot of them!"

"As expected."

"They're not at the right place", the kitsune explained worriedly. "There is none around the coast…but the wind brought the scent of plenty of demons on top of Cirrus Hill!"

"I concur my lord, we have sensed numerous snakes with the hard scales in the Cirrus Valley as well. The group who will use this path risks losing warriors before reaching Kuno", added another scout.

Sesshomaru frowned, clearly irritated. The supplies couldn't be moved in the mountains, because of narrow paths and one precipice. In fact, it had been planned that the main group (lead by him), including the biggest number of warriors, and supplies carriers, would use the sea road, more likely to hide a few wildlings, while a smaller number would use the hill. It was a longer, yet more quiet route his cousin was supposed to follow with limited risks of him doing something idiotic before their arrival. However, if all the enemies were on Cirrus hill instead of the coast…this plan couldn't work. Sesshomaru knew he couldn't leave a horde of snakes to someone as unmotivated on the battlefield as Tenmaru…He will have to take the Cirrus Hill road himself…which left the coast to his vassal…with the supplies…with…Rin…

He was very…very displeased…

…

When he came back by the fire, he actually had to give a small kick to his now snoring cousin.

"Hmmmm…"

"Wake up", ordered Sesshomaru icily.

"…So…what's up?", inquired Tenmaru with a yawn.

"The wildling's location is all the contrary of what we were told…" Sesshomaru frowned sceptically as he stared at the now dying embers. "General Kazuo may be trying to fool us after all…"

His interlocutor shrugged. "Wildings do move a lot. It doesn't mean anything."

"You know whose blood he shares..."

"I would be amazed the heir of the Central Lands would want to protect Amane right now…", Tenmaru replied with a smirk.

"He said his father has not given him any birthright…If Amane ever gets defeated, he may get a fief, nothing else", Sesshomaru reminded with a sideways glance.

Tenmaru scoffed. "Bastard or not, he's Sakuza's only other child, aside from the blue witch. Their lineage has ruled over the Heartlands for eons. I say the little general has a claim…"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't matter in the short term. We have to make a change of plans. You will take the coast instead of me…with the supplies carriers. You will have to report your location to the other group within three days, so we can attempt to coordinate the attack appropriately…"

"Yeah…okay", was the only reply he got…along with a long yawn…

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow in indignation.

His cousin stretched. "What's with the face? We just swap place, it's not a big deal."

The Lord displayed his highest level of iciness. "It is a big deal."

"Why is that?"

Sesshomaru hesitated briefly. "…I cannot bring Rin with me. The snakes are too numerous around the hill…"

His cousin shrugged casually. "Who cares? My men will be guarding her…She'll be safe!"

The taiyoukai glared. "The army doesn't matter, you idiot. Someone has to watch over her personally."

"Yeah well, Nozomi will."

"Nozomi is a scout. She can't protect Rin all the time."

"I'll fetch two or three guards to make sure…", retorted Tenmaru, still not fully awake.

Sesshomaru sighed with deep infuriation. He never thought he would ever say that…

"You are the one who must protect her."

Tenmaru blinked. "Ahem, huh…yeah well…whatever. All my guys are watching my butt anyway…"

Sesshomaru kneeled next to his vassal to be at his eyes' level. "Do no rely on others for her safety. You must never drop your guard. If you cross wildings, she will be the first one they will try to strike. They lust for her human flesh and blood…"

Tenmaru smirked, while rubbing his eyes. "That's hardly a surprise..."

Sesshomaru took him by the collar smashed him against the tree trunk, his cousin now fully awaken and wide eyed. "You better keep your eyes open, Tenmaru…"

"I do have a nose", he reminded…quite reckless for his standards.

The Lord of the West's jaw tightened. "Your eyes. On her. All the time. And you better start now, because I promise you…if Rin doesn't come back to me in one piece..."He approached his ear. "…You…will die", he let out in a whisper full of bloodlust.

After letting his cousin go, he stood up slowly, giving him one last murderous look…

"If everything goes as planned. You shall be rewarded accordingly."

And with that he left.

Tenmaru felt air escape from his lungs as his scary suzerain was gone, and put a hand on his chest, as he tried to catch his breath. He stared at the flames a little while, trying to calm down and understand what had just happened…He did fear for his life…more than usual this time!

There must be lot of wildings in the hills for Sesshomaru to leave Rin like that… He couldn't believe Sesshomaru actually trusted him to check on her personally. He was one of the biggest slacker of the Western Lands. That was a well known fact!

Tenmaru's eyes moved slowly towards the gorgeous human, resting peacefully on her beloved mate's fur…

Now sweet Rin was his problem…his charge…His…

…Ward?!

…End of chapter…

Muwahahahaha. Ah I know…That's almost a cliff anger now is it?

I guess that wasn't the most epic chapter, but I think the next one will be dynamic, packed with action and silliness. Should be fun!

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	23. The Unforeseen (part 1)

A/N: This chapter starts with a flashback of events occurring…let's say…between chapter 5 and chapter 6? I know this is very far away…

Enjoy!

Chapter 23: The Unforeseen (part 1)

_The voluptuous human brunette stood in front of him, looking uneasy, as he slid his hand in the middle of her back, and took her hand gently. _

_He smirked. He could tell from the softness of her fingers that they could do wonders on a male body. However, they were freaking cold! Sesshomaru's ward was stressed, that was obvious. _

_The Lady Mother was looking at them too, that probably didn't help. For some reason, Sasori had such a fascination with her…_

_Or maybe it was that she didn't trust him enough to let him be in company of Sesshomaru's pretty thing without a chaperon. Like he couldn't control himself. What a ridiculous thought! Rin may be attractive, but she was a maiden…and maidens were off limits to him. He had no time to waste with fear and purity, trying to reassure and coo his targets, when he could just pick one who knew how to have fun. He liked his women bold, fiery and willing._

_And there was also the fact that Sesshomaru had spotted her first (though he didn't seem to be aware of it yet)…It didn't matter. Tenmaru had some principles. First come, first served, it was a basic rule he adamantly believed in…_

_It was for all these reasons that he had asked Rin to be his partner for his dance lessons. He knew that with her, no real drama could happen…since he was not going to woo her (well…not for real anyway). His last dance partner had gone completely crazy because of the things they had done in one of the armoury closet, the poor wench thinking he was actually going to dump his betrothed for her. He didn't need another incident like that before his wedding._

_Yes, Sesshomaru's ward was a safe choice, but she needed to loosen up…just a little…or else it was going to be boring…She was dodging his gaze a bit too much for his liking…_

"_Have you seen a ghost sweetheart?", he inquired flirtingly . "Or are you muted by our blissful closeness?"_

_Rin blushed slightly, wide hazel eyes finally looking at him. "N-no…no ghost…just a little distracted", she replied with a playful smile._

"_Tenmaru, don't embarrass her…", warned the Lady Mother. "And don't call her sweetheart."_

_He frowned at his aunt. "But you I heard you call her like that yourself!", he protested with vexation._

"_It sounds wrong in your mouth…", she retorted._

_He huffed. "Fine!", He glanced back at Rin with a smirk. "What should I call you then?"_

_Rin smiled with slight amusement. "Well…my name is short enough. Do I really need a nickname?"_

"_You may begin", stated the dance instructor. She clapped her hands. "Music!"_

_A few shamizens and wooden flutes started to play a lively melody. Rin was startled the moment Tenmaru started moving, his hands pulling her in swift rhythmic moves. It fitted with the song, and he was not in the mood for slow anyway…_

"_Is it that you do not like my actual name?", she asked with a childish pout._

_He took a brief moment to gaze at her lips. "That's not it, you have a beautiful name, sweet…"_

_Sasori glared._

"_Rin…", he finished with a doubting sideways at his dear aunt, then grinned. "Sweet Rin…that sounds perfect!". _

"_Now a twirl!", called the instructor._

_And Tenmaru did make Rin twirl, her dark hair spinning around her, almost slapping his face. She was a gracious, but a tad clumsy. That was probably going to be solved soon, once she actually gets a man…_

_Sesshomaru was such a fool to let this pretty girl play the teary widow. She was way too young for that…_

_However, the shy maiden seemed to stare at him all of a sudden… as they kept dancing. But she didn't seem to be gawking…like most girls would do. She was just…inspecting him…how unusual…_

"_So which part of my face do you prefer, sweet Rin?", he inquired, while flashing a playful smile._

_The Lady Mother smirked with a tad of hostility. "Dear nephew, I think you enjoy Sesshomaru's absence a bit too much…"_

"_Oh let him be Sasori-sama. I know it is just his way of doing small talk", replied Rin with an amused smile._

_Sesshomaru's mother looked sceptical, but she got distracted by other dancers in the room doing it all wrong for a moment, brief enough for Rin to whisper…_

"_Your cheekbones!"_

_He raised an eyebrow. "Wha?"_

"_You have __his__ cheekbones! And the same jawline too!", Rin replied with a slight blush. "In fact, you look a lot like him…more than his brother Inu-Yasha!"_

_He smirked. "…So it was his features you were searching for in my face?"_

"_Please don't tell Sasori-sama!"_

_His smile widened, while he made her twirl again. She was slower this time, looking a bit more like a lady and less like a little girl. "You know…if you want to gawk at him from up close, you should look at the real specimen…not a mere…handsome, yet distant relative…"_

_She blushed harder. "And h-how am I supposed to do that?"_

_Stutters. Gods…this girl needed to get laid…and quick._

"_I was told there is a wedding soon…" He then smiled wickedly. "Ask him to dance", he whispered, as if it was the most naughty thing to say. He had to adjust to his audience after all…_

"_I-I-I…" She checked to see if the Lady Mother was away. "But he has a date!"_

_Tenmaru raised an eyebrow in a Sesshomaru-ish way. "She's not as pretty as you. Besides…" He got closer to her ear. "We know he can't refuse you a thing…"_

_Rin was burgundy now…She really needed some urgent womanly blooming…_

"…_Do you know what it means for a demon nobleman to invite a lady in his private chambers…especially after sundown like he did with you the other day?", he continued suggestively._

_She shook her head, still red._

_He smirked. He had to be prude about it, or else she was going to combust in embarrassment. "It means that this nobleman would never refuse that fair lady, if she asks for a dance with all her charm and sweetness…"_

_She seemed pensive for a moment, a tad worried also. The poor girl was obviously not used to seduce men…_

"_O-okay…", she whispered. "I'll ask him."_

_Now he just openly smiled. "Just don't forget to put a pretty colour on your lips, he'll just stare and nod at whatever you have to ask…"_

_And now she giggled. "You are so silly Tenmaru! Like he would ever do that…"_

_He smirked deviously. "You may be surprised…"_

The clinking sounds of metal boots and armour got him out of his nostalgia briefly…only so briefly…

He couldn't help but smile slightly. Sweet sweet time that was, when Rin was shy enough to blush at a man's smile, glance, or anything remotely close to suggestive, for that matter. And how delighted he had been the first time he caught Sesshomaru's eyes travel on his innocent maiden ward… his dearest Rin… reddening each time she noticed… Fun times when he played matchmaker… One of his favourite games…aside from the bed games…of course…

The game was too tempting not to be played…He was the king of love in this castle, so he knew the benefits of a successful love life and thought relevant to offer that wonderful gift to his suzerain and new favourite human…Both of them needed a push, that was obvious.

Wonderful times they were, when he could play matchmaker during the day and take care of his own needs at night…banging whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted …

He groaned, as his uncomfortable and heavy armour bit his shoulders and ribs…

A bygone age, that was!

Now married, his hot stuff Kishiko and him now had as prime duty to conceive an heir. They had obliged very willingly to their marital duties exclusively with each other in every possible moment as soon as they had wed. However, they had to wait a little while before knowing if she was with child. She had promised she would write to him as soon as her gestation would be confirmed…

Because his Kishiko couldn't party with her male friends during that time to make sure that the offspring was from him (because it was rare that simple fun didn't lead to the complete thing…of course, it was a know fact…), she had asked him to be chaste at the same time as her. He had accepted, being the dutiful and fair husband he was, and also because she asked him in a moment he was so physically gratified he couldn't understand what it meant to be deprived of his most primal need...

But now he knew. Oh gods he knew! It had been MORE than a MONTH now, and she still hadn't given any confirmation! How cruel was that! His body couldn't bear shortage of women flesh for so long!

And on top of that, Sesshomaru HAD to have a panic attack and shove his hot mate in Tenmaru's face and ask him to guard his little treasure…

His dearest Rin that he had banged so LOUDLY as of late!

At first, Tenmaru had revelled to their music. He would never tell anyone (except to his wife who often did the same), but he liked to hear love sounds of others for educative purpose. Was the woman satisfied? Was the man foreplaying with her appropriately? Or was it the woman who took the lead this time? Just with the music, he could tell…It was not an act of perversion. It was mere curiosity. Lovemaking was his sport and he had to analyse objectively every act he could hear about, it was quite an obsession…

But now…his own frustrations ruined everything. For instance, last time Sesshomaru had banged Rin on the wall…Tenmaru, even wasted, half comatose in his room…knew that his relative had botched the foreplays... With his head upside down making him feel even fuzzier…his inebriated mind had started to roam… thinking back of all the times Sesshomaru had left marks on her delicate neck. To spare her delicate human flesh, he should stop nipping at once and use slight tonguing instead…

And before he could stop it Sesshomaru didn't exist anymore and Tenmaru had dared wondering how red Rin would turn if he teased her himself. He had a special trick…making every women fly to the moon with his little finger only (yes, he was that talented…) That trick had been tested and perfected for decades…

His jaw tightened as he looked at the sky, noticing the little ichiro stalker bird…and grey clouds…

Wrong wrong thoughts ! Damn needs of the flesh! He wasn't supposed to think about sweet Rin this way! He had been asked to watch her in the guardian-way, not in a flesh-craving way! She was his temporary ward!

Her damn armour didn't help alleviate his torments…this thing Sesshomaru made her wear, meant to protect her voluptuous body…had metal lames hugging her bosom so wonderfully… Of course, that couldn't beat his sweet Kishiko (owner of the ultimate rack), but it was hot enough to itch his little finger…

It was wrong! Rin was part of his pack. She was like a little sister he had to watch over.

A little human sister…

With dark silky hair…

...Doe eyes…

And a rack of hell…

Gods it was hard to be him right now! He needed his Kishiko to relieve him of his cravings… He was so desperate even the fox-girl started to be appealing now (she had quite a bum…)

He pinched the bridge of his nose. It was maddening!

Maddening!

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by female scents…_Gods_… One girl on each side…

"What is it Tenmaru? You've been grumpy again!", observed Rin innocently.

"I wonder why, the flies leave you alone now!", added Nozomi, with parallel innocence.

"It has stopped raining and we'll reach the coast soon!", insisted Rin with a smile he didn't look at…since he was busy staring at the blue sky with high concentration.

He couldn't look at the rack. Not at the rack…Not at the…

"Oh I know what could cheer him up!", exclaimed Rin joyfully "I think it's gossip time!"

"Gossips! Finally! I've been waiting for it all week long!", exclaimed Nozomi. "Who starts this time?"

"I do!", answered Rin.

That got Tenmaru out of his trail of dirty thoughts, raising an eyebrow. Gossip was the third most important thing, after bed games and matchmaking…

"Since when does our sweet Rin is a source of gossips?"

She smiled a bit wickedly. He looked away, seemingly casually…

_Sweet sweet Kichiko…_

"Oh I talked with Sesshomaru a bit…", Rin explained evasively.

He smirked deviously, glancing back at her. "Pillow talk?"

Nozomi slapped the back of his head.

"A talk while we were dining in his private quarters", Rin felt compelled to specify.

The fox-girl gasped. "About what?", she inquired excitedly.

Rin smiled smugly. "About you guys…Changes to the council…"

Both the inuyoukai and the kitsune startled.

"Oh Kami did he say something about me? About Kireru?!", exclaimed the fox-girl.

"Rin should you even tell us?", inquired Tenmaru doubtfully.

She held her chin pensively. "It could be that I shouldn't talk to you about it…but since you are my friends…"

Both looked at her silently, waiting…longing for whatever she would say next…but she spoke no more.

"What are you waiting for!?", prompted the kitsune girl way too excitedly.

"Okay okay…" She crossed her arms. "The first one is about the baron Hatsuno…"

"Sesshomaru will kill him?", tried Tenmaru.

"No."

"Sesshomaru will make it seem as if it's an accident?", he tried again.

"No no…", Rin shook her head. "But you are right…Sesshomaru is tired of him…he calls him the fossil."

Tenmaru scoffed. "Everyone calls him that! Even Sasori!"

"Spill the beans!", ordered Nozomi.

"Well Sesshomaru thinks the fossil is ready for retirement…", replied Rin. "Depending of what we will find out during our travels to the Western Coast, once our little trip up North is over, Sesshomaru intends to start pressuring him. He has a threat or two in his bag if the baron doesn't want to give up his place…"

"To whom?", wondered Nozomi.

"I am not sure…possibly one of his daughters…"

Tenmaru felt his mouth water. "Maybe Lady Takara? The smoking hot daughter with purple eyes and beauty spots?"

Rin shrugged. "Sesshomaru trusts that whoever takes Hatsuno's place cannot be any worse…"

"He must be right. Hatsuno is so old he fears his own shadow now... I am told he was already wrinkled when Inu Taisho took over the West", replied Nozomi, crossing arms, then looked at Rin hopefully. "Do you know something about me?"

Rin smiled. "I think Sesshomaru likes your work. He says he might relieve you of Kireru's supervision soon…"

"Already?!" she exclaimed.

Rin narrowed her eyes. "It is also because he has other plans for your mentor…"

Nozomi's eyes widened. "What plans?"

Oh Tenmaru knew the answer to that one… The Lady Mother didn't want to be in charge of the castle's safety when Sesshomaru was gone anymore, and so he was thinking of making Kireru the main domain's castellan…quite an honour…

For a damn bootlicker…

Rin played with her hair. "I am not sure what Sesshomaru has in mind…" she lied. "But I think it is important…", she finished evasively.

Smile spread on her pretty lips as she looked at Tenmaru's eyes.

She didn't say a word. AGAIN.

"Oh sweet Rin don't be so cruel!", he prompted impatiently.

She smiled playfully. "Well actually, there is nothing about you…"

He displayed his highest level of dejection. "What?! But you said…what kind of wicked tease are you?", he asked with a frown.

"There is nothing yet", she added with wisps of mischief. "But you may want to know that Sesshomaru is thinking about…redrawing the North's frontiers…"

His eyes widened.

"Well of course there are a few natural barriers that make it logical for Sesshomaru to make one brand new fief North of yours…", she replied innocently, playing with her hair.

Tenmaru made quite a face. Rin patted on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "But nothing is decided yet…"

"You make it seem like he has already made up his mind…"

Rin smiled mysteriously. "He said what he will do depends entirely of you…"

He twitched.

_Great Gods!_

Sweet Kishiko and the holy grails were far way in his brain now…

_But…wait a minute…_

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That's not secrets…He just wants you to tell us these things, right? Hoping we will work our asses off to get what we want?

She shrugged. "I tell whatever I want to whoever I want. For instance, Tatsumaki has been mean to me the other day, so I haven't told her that Sesshomaru is just waiting for her second report about the Kuza abyss to approve her request about high walls…"

Nozomi gasped. "That's wicked! She would love to know that!"

Rin smirked. "But she is sooo mean to me!" She crossed her arms. "Well that's it for now! I am out of juice…"

Tenmaru scratched his little finger with his thumb.

"Wait a minute!", exclaimed Nozomi, while looking at Rin with knowing eyes. "Do you have something else to tell us, Rin?"

She blinked innocently. "No…why?"

Nozomi shrugged. "Well, it is because of your scent! You just smell…I don't know…healthier than usual…"

Tenmaru repressed a face palm. Why did the fox-girl had to bring that up?!

Rin's eyes widened worriedly. "Healthier?", she repeated with panic. "Does that smell bad?!"

"Not at all!", exclaimed the kitsune. "It's hard to explain. There is just something different about you…Tenmaru you've noticed right?"

Rin looked at him worriedly.

Now he face palmed. "Girls' scents change all the time and most often than not it means nothing!", he replied with infuriation. "Besides…scents are a personal thing, fox-girl!"

Nozomi blinked. "Personal…thing? But we smell everyone's scents all the time!"

"It is rude to talk about it!"

Nozomi looked at him suspiciously. "I thought the change in her scent might have been why you've invaded her personal space during the meeting…", she retorted reproachfully.

Rin gasped.

"Well I am glad you bring this up Nozomi", he replied in sudden seriousness, while tapping his fingers. "Sweet Rin...we need to have a talk about that incident…", he added, his eyes narrowing threateningly.

She blinked in apparent confusion.

"You and the general! What the hell?!", he exploded.

Doe eyes widened. "W-what are you talking about?"

"You are changing the subject, Tenmaru", warned Nozomi.

He huffed. "No I'm not. I took one for the team that day…", he retorted with indignation. "I was doing a distraction, so Sesshomaru would stop gawking at your flirting with Kazuo!"

Rin gasped. "What?! I didn't flirt!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Don't deny it! You wouldn't stop playing with your hair while looking at him!"

"No way!" Rin shook her head in bewilderment. "You really think I was flirting with the general?"

"Of course you were, and Kazuo was even more obvious than you…", he replied, while crossing his arms. "We wouldn't want Sesshomaru and Kazuo to start fighting for you when we need them on the same side, now wouldn't we? So I executed an emergency plan…I made flirtatious moves, very well knowing from the moment that my sleeve would touch yours, that Sesshomaru would just glare at me and see nothing else…" Then his eyes narrowed. "But that general was so thick he only retaliated with his flirty elbow, ruining all my efforts…with Sesshomaru witnessing some sort of threesome he wasn't invited in! So I did get infuriated by the whole thing and started bitching the general...hoping that striking his ego would quiet him down…and we all know all it ended", he finished sinisterly.

"Wait…", Rin massaged her temples, trying to process it all. "So you said you made a distraction, because you thought that Sesshomaru would react badly at my exchange of courtesies with general Kazuo?"

He frowned. "I was not talking about the small talk! I was talking about you twisting a strand of hair and about his lecherous elbows!"

Nozomi sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "Even if Rin fluttered her eyelashes once for the cute general… can you say anything with the reputation you have, Tenmaru?"

He looked away and crossed his arms. "It's not the same…"

"What's the difference?", argued the kitsune.

"I wouldn't necessarily have judged Rin, had she flirted with someone insignificant for the sport…but Kazuo is the enemy!" , he exploded, with fists turned into balls.

"I didn't flirt! And general Kazuo is not the enemy", retorted Rin with a blush.

Tenmaru huffed. "Sesshomaru still doesn't trust Kazuo and I can't blame him. Look where his erroneous informations brought you…away from your mate!"

Rin crossed her arms self cautiously. "He must not have done it on purpose…"

"I would rather believe that too, but there might be a day his interests and ours won't be the same anymore", warned Sesshomaru's cousin. "Besides…you can't date a foreigner! You would have to dump our awesome inu house for him!", he exclaimed, looking suddenly hurt.

Rin put her hands in front of her mouth, eyes wide. "I swear I never meant to do that! I am not in love with general Kazuo…Kami I hope Sesshomaru is not mad!"

Nozomi put an arm around Rin's shoulder. "Oh don't take it this way Rin! He exaggerates things!"

"Really?", she inquired with a pout.

She shrugged. "Well I think Kazuo's kinda cute too!"

"Oh no!", Rin exclaimed, hiding her face in her hands, mortified.

"BIIIIRDS! BIRDS INCOOMINNG!", yelled a soldier in front of them.

A shriek pierced the quietness, a few warriors yelling as well and running towards them…for pretty obvious reasons…three giant birds approaching with threatening talons, ready to catch a tasty prey.

Whistling sounds were heard: a wind of arrows taking two of these immense monsters down, but the last one was too quick, flying towards them at incredible speed…

Tenmaru's eyes widened.

So Sesshomaru was right…the wilding demons did aim Rin…He thought for a brief moment about unsheathing his sword…but he hated swords…and Nozomi was already running in the direction of the monster with both of her daggers out…She jumped livelily, landed on it and stabbed frantically, the beast screaming and falling down…

Falling down, towards Rin, and still opening its immense claws…Nozomi screamed at Rin to get away...

Then Tenmaru realized no other guards were close enough to intervene on time, and so he started to walk quite quickly in their direction…walk transforming into a run, and without thinking, he took that damn piece of metal scrap out of its scabbard, rising it in the air…

But as he was one breath away from it all, Rin swung her weapon and surprisingly sliced the bird's head off, and jumped away from its trajectory before it fell limply on the ground, her moves all graceful, unpredictable and incredibly _hot_…

"Nice blow Rin!", exclaimed Nozomi, cheerfully, while she got down from the dead beast.

She grinned. "Oh but you did most of the job!"

Nozomi huffed and brushed the compliment off with the back of her hand. "You finished it! That's your kill! 1-0 for Rin!"

Tenmaru tried to put back his sword in his scabbard, pathetically failing the first time, so he had to try again with both hands…but…no one had noticed his inelegant clumsiness with weapons…

…At least Rin knew how a sword worked…with a bit of luck…he won't even need to lift a finger to make sure she is…

"RIN LOOK OUT!", screamed the fox girl.

"OH KAMI!", Rin yelled, rising her sword in a defensive manner.

Tenmaru glanced behind his back just in time to see a new rapacious monster hurling voraciously as it was charging at her…

…

Kazuo opened the window and shooed the loud bird away…the raven perched on a branch screaming so close to his private chambers there was no way he could even hear himself think. He sighed with slight frustration as he watched the black creature, sign of bad omen fly away from him. He tightened his ponytail and put his blue armour on, taking his sweet time to tie it. He was not in a hurry to return to the battlefield. Knowing what was lying ahead (future defeat in Kuno and his own life in peril for that matter) didn't rejoice him the least, but for once, he had the impression to do the right thing…

He was startled by an unexpected knock at his door.

"You may get in", he replied in his polite fashion.

One of his subordinate got in and bowed low. "My general, I apologize to disturb you so shortly after your arrival, but we believe we may have an emergency on the field...

Kazuo's pale eyes widened in surprise.

What did they just find now? He was not sure he wanted to hear it…

"I was going back outside in a few minutes, but please go ahead…", he replied as he got out of his chambers and double-locked his door. He hated to think that people might sneak in when he was away…

"Presence of snakes was reported, Kazuo-sama…many of them…"

The general frowned in concern. "Snakes…it has been a while since the last occurrence…Where exactly?"

"Surprisingly, a hundred of them have been seen in the Cirrus Hill area…"

"Cirrus Hill!?", Kazuo exclaimed.

The armoured warrior scratched the back of his head. "Yes, we were surprised too. There are villages not too far from there…should we intervene or let the snakes feast?"

Kazuo crossed his arms.

What a bad timing! In normal circumstances, he would have told his guards to chase them away…but now…if they wandered in that area…

He shook his head. "We cannot intervene right now. The empress might need our aid very soon. With the rumblings in the East, she might request a part of our troops to protect the mainland…"

The subordinate looked confused. "Rumblings in the East my general?"

He frowned "Haven't you heard of it? I did hear many tales of it in the villages on my way back. There may be a rebellion in the oriental lands…

The subordinate nodded. "My apologies Kazuo-sama. This news hadn't reached my ears yet. If that's so, let's say quiet for now. It's not like the villagers care when we help anyway…"

Kazuo spoke no more and let his the soldier leave with a bow.

He thought back to their scheme. If he remembered correctly…Lord Sesshomaru was supposed to use the hidden coast road, along with the main army, his supplies…and Lady Rin…It is most likely master Tenmaru who will get caught in the crowd.

Kazuo wondered if that vassal was capable to defeat such a horde of snakes…

He sighed in lassitude. Whatever the outcome, Lord Sesshomaru will certainly be angry with him …he wondered if he was going to be killed even before he had anticipated…The Lord of the Western Lands didn't have the reputation to be especially merciful with anyone…

The general got out of the fortress and stared at the clear sky, determination on his features. At least Lady Rin was not on this road. He wouldn't have forgiven himself, had this unforeseen development harmed Sesshomaru's exquisite mate.

Kazuo may not have strong senses like inuyoukais, but mages had particular instincts, aptitudes in feeling omen…and even though he had developed his sword skills instead of such perceptiveness…he had a feeling Lady Rin had to be protected. He felt that she had an important role to play during upcoming events…

…

Green flames licked the ground and struck down three crawling monsters that threatened one of his rookie warriors.

Sesshomaru frowned in annoyance as he lowered Bakusaiga. It was too soon for casualties…

"My lord! Let me handle these monsters in your stead!", exclaimed Jaken, as two new reptiles crept closer. "Staff of the two heads!"

Oblivious to his servant's assistance, he ran towards another horde of enemies, jumped in the air so quickly the wind made his eyes dry out, his vision blurry as he landed in the middle of the pack of snakes, ready for combat.

"Look out my lord!", exclaimed another one of the soldiers.

"Hmph."

He smirked, as he whirled in a gracious dance of death, killing them all on one blow. He knew it was his men's duty to protect him, but he had never deemed such measure crucial. He had no problem annihilating the monsters with the hard scales on his own…

A flash of light blinded him for a brief moment and thunder cracked…a new storm bursting out of nowhere. Amber eyes briefly gazed at the darkening sky. The hills, mature trees and steep landscape had concealed the clouds…and the smothering stench of blood had covered the scent of rain.

He stabbed another beast in the guts, without even looking at it. His spirit was elsewhere… Rin's hazel eyes now invading his mind…

He hoped it wasn't raining where she was. Rin hates storms…

It frustrated him greatly to be unable to protect her on his own, but he had no other choice. So many snakes were a very hazardous threat, even to him. He would never have forgiven himself if Rin got bitten one more time…His features turned into a scowl as he remembered holding her unconscious form…when she got bitten the other time, her body covered with cold sweats for days after that incident…and then he had spent the worst week of his entire life…

The sea road was safer at the moment. The pathways were large. No enemies had been detected by his scouts…Besides, she was with his vassals and her friends. Nozomi was valiant and Sesshomaru knew she will do everything she can to defend Rin when she will not be out scouting. And Tenmaru may be generally unmotivated on the battlefield, but he did seem to care for Rin…

And life threats were usually of great effectiveness when he was concerned…

A stony snake showed its fangs, but Sesshomaru flew over it, aimed at a weakness between the scales and slit its neck.

As he felt a few cold raindrops wet his for face, the Lord of the Western Lands had another reason to be satisfied with his choice of strategy…The sea road was relatively safe during rain, while Cirrus Hill could be…unpredictable at times…

…

Rin felt her limbs stiffen in fear…she repressed a scream and protected herself with Shinsei. The giant bird closed its claws on her weapon and pulled at the sword in an obvious effort to snatch it away from her. She tried to hang on to her weapon but the rapacious monster was so strong none of her efforts were enough to fight back the wide flapping wings…She let her sword go before she could get carried away, but as soon as her hands slid off the handle, the hooked beak caught a spike of her armour, ready to carry back its prey.

"NOOO!", screamed Nozomi, running towards Rin.

Rin looked at the bird's hungry eyes …gasping in fright as she saw a green whip wrap itself around the beast neck and tighten around it, pulling them down violently, both of them crashing on the ground as if they were rag dolls.

Rin covered her ears as she heard the screams of agony of the bird and the disquieting sound of a blade piercing flesh. That kill was so quick! And the whip, it looked like Sesshomaru's! Had he decided to take retrace his steps and accompany them?

However, when she opened her eyes, it was not ambers but saw, but dark blue instead.

She was pretty sure her face had whitened at that moment…

"Sweet kamis Tenmaru that was incredible!", exclaimed Nozomi, as she ran towards them. She looked at the dead bird with fascination, before glancing back at him. "You're a born to be blood-thirsty killer!"

He looked at his blade disdainfully and wiped it shamelessly on the dead bird. Rin pulled at its sharp beak with both of her hands and freed herself from the beast's grasp. Then she tried to take back her swords from the claws, but that proved much harder. Nozomi came to her aid and cut the talons to dislodge Rin's weapon. Rin retrieved her Shinsei, and sheathed it, thanking her friend.

"Are you okay? You fell a bit roughly with the bird", asked Tenmaru with concern, giving a hand to help her up.

She blinked innocently as she took it. "Oh I barely felt it. I am just glad you took it down before it could take me away…Thank you!" She gave one last look at the bird, looking massacred even though it was killed with only one blow.

She grinned back at him. "You definitely share some blood with Sesshomaru!"

He made a haughty huff. "Did you doubt it?"

"I am impressed", she added earnestly. "You have the same timing!", she exclaimed jokingly.

If she wouldn't have known better, she would have sworn she saw a nascent blush on his face, as he looked away. It seems he wasn't praised as often about his fighting skills than his pretty face…

"Well it is now: 1-1 between you both, and I fall back behind, how embarrassing is that?!", exclaimed Nozomi.

Tenmaru closed his eyes. "I am not part of your silly competition, kitsune-girl!"

"From now on you are! Heart-Eater vs Armchair Assassin!", she retorted while pulling out her tongue.

"Master Tenmaru!", screamed a warrior.

All three turned their heads in the direction of the crowd and ran towards it. They saw after an abrupt turn of the pathway that a group of warriors had fought a small group of blue soldiers, while they had been distracted with the birds…All the foes were lying on the ground...dead, except for one standing on his knees, hands on his thighs.

"What happened here?", Sesshomaru's cousin inquired with boredom.

"These are scouts…most likely", replied one of the warriors, he looked back at the last one, quivering on the ground. "This one begged for mercy, so we wanted to check with you first. Should we kill him?"

"Don't!", exclaimed Rin with indignation.

Before she could get any further, Tenmaru lifted his arm, blocking her way. Rin saw the blue soldier stare at him. Tenmaru stared bare back, not saying anything, but his sternness gave her such a bad feeling…He was not going to spare the remaining soldier, she could feel it…

Apparently sensing it too, the last foe took out a dagger from his belt and sliced himself between the metal lames, opening his stomach in a swift process, his body shuddering violently in pain…

Rin gasped and fell her whole body starting to tremble as well, unable to look away as she saw crimson blood pool around the blue soldier… before he fell limp on the ground, next to his comrades.

She wanted to scream, cry and throw up all at once.

_This again?_ _Kazuo…you said this would not happen! _

Did Kazuo wanted to lose the Northwest so much that he has lied to them about the seppuku? Did he not care for casualties like Sesshomaru?

Then she couldn't help but think that in similar circumstances, her deceased boyfriend wouldn't have lied about it …Kazuo may look like Kohaku slightly, but he was not him…She could see it now. He was a stranger…a temporary ally, like Tenmaru had said. How could she not see him this way before?

"Well problem solved!", replied one of the inu warriors.

"Let's move on", added another.

Rin unconsciously tried to walk towards the freshly dead man, but Tenmaru prevented her to, holding one of her forearm a tad firmly.

"Why do they always have to do this?", she wondered with gloom.

"Would you rather have killed him yourself?", inquired Tenmaru with a frown. "This one sparred us the trouble…"

"It's not like we could have let him live, considering the circumstances…", added Nozomi, ill at ease.

Rin shook her head. "He begged for mercy! He wanted to live!"

"Rin just drop it", retorted Tenmaru with slight impatience.

She looked back at him with frustration. "What would you have done if he had been someone you knew?"

He looked away. "That's a hypothetical question…"

"See? Double standards! If it's an enemy it's okay, but if it's someone we care about, it's the contrary! A life is a life! Maybe this dead man had a wife, and children somewhere!", she argued with slight quaver in her voice.

He shook his head. "…We are better left not knowing…"

She crossed her arms, trying hard to swallow her tears. "…Each life is precious. This feels so wrong…"

He sighed with exasperation. "If you shed tears for every injustice you see, you will die from sadness before your reach your first quarter of century. You should focus on your safety instead…"

She blinked. "Now that last part sounded like Sesshomaru…"

"Well apparently I have to in order to keep you in check!", he exclaimed a bit dramatically. "And where are you going like that?!", he barked as he watched her walking up front.

She flinched, before looking back at him with wisps of confusion and sheepishness. She just wanted to get away from the dead men as soon as possible…

"Fo…following the other warriors…Why?", she inquired shyly.

He narrowed his eyes. "You are way too yummy-looking for the wildings to run around like this. From now on, you stay at arm's reach from me!"

"But there are warri…"

"At arm's reach I said, it's an order", he insisted with slight dryness, fingers closing on a spike of her armour like the bird beast had done before…

She blinked with surprise and insisted no more…and only then got distracted by the sound of thunder and dark clouds coming. She crossed her arms uneasily, while staring at the sky, a sudden wave of worry twisting her insides…She just hoped Sesshomaru wouldn't have to deal with bad weather, along with all the snakes…

…

Kazuo was sitting on the stairs of the fortress, sharpening his blade, as he saw more clouds fly speedily towards Cirrus Hill. He frowned. If there was one place he wouldn't want to be right now, it was this damned location. How is it that it was only when they needed this forsaken path that it had to be struck by every possible curse?

"My general…", said his subordinate.

He looked up, his pale eyes darkened by his concerns.

"You were right, Kazuo-sama! The mainland requests backup for defensive purpose, while the main armies try to fight back the rebels of the East. Should we accept their request?"

"Of course. Send back five hundred men. That's the best we can do…"

"My general…that is a lot! Shouldn't we keep more to defend ourselves? What if the snakes go berserk and attack us?"

Kazuo frowned. "That never happened…"

"They can be quite unpredictable at times", insisted the subordinate.

Kazuo shook his head. "I'd rather assist fighting back a real threat than have my men sit here for speculative risks. My order is to send back five hundred", he retorted sternly.

The soldier bowed. "As you wish, Kazuo-sama…"

And with that he left…

Kazuo watched his final work, silver blade so sharp he only dared a featherlike touch on it, and even then, he saw a drop of blood on his index finger.

Maybe he has sharpened it a bit too much…

…

Two days had passed since the incidents with the birds, and Rin could hardly contain her anticipation. They could feel a chilly breeze and now heard the sound of crashing waves and seagulls. They even smelt the salt… meaning that they were about to be able to glance at the ocean soon, which will be a nice change to all the rocky pathways and steep slopes around them.

But that was not the main source of her enthusiasm…

It had been three days since they had parted ways with Sesshomaru now… which meant that it was finally time to report back to him, and he would report too, to give more detailed instructions about Kuno's invasion. She was looking forward to have news from him.

From the moment she had woken up in his furs, without him around, she had felt uneasy. She always felt safe when he was around…and she feeling that had twisted her insides since he had departed without saying goodbyes just wouldn't leave her. Of course, she trusted her friends and the inu troops…but for some reason…it wasn't the same…

Besides…

She glanced behind her back, and saw _him_ only a few steps away from her…chatting with Nozomi…but the sideways glance was not long to manifest itself as soon as he noticed her staring.

Though she had to admit she felt reassured that Tenmaru had such killer instincts in emergency situations, she had no privacy at all since the previous attack! He was not even letting her take proper a leak alone (though he had sent Nozomi with her at least…and this one thought that the situation was VERY funny…)

She frowned with unhappiness…Oh she so missed Sesshomaru's quiet protection and warm embraces, reassuring whispers and soft caresses. It was an unpleasant feel each time he was away for many days…as if she was addicted to him.

She sighed. What was she thinking about? Of course she was addicted!

"Master Tenmaru", called one of the warrior leading the walk. "We will reach the sea arcade soon."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why should I care about that?"

"It means we are ahead of schedule. We have reached the point of correspondence already."

His traits lightened. "Oh good! So it means we'll get to have a real break!"

Rin repressed a sigh of relief. "Real break" meant that she could remove the uncomfortable armour, quit "his arm's reach", especially if one of the healers started seducing him again…that could distract him for a few minutes…though Rin did not understand why he didn't seem to pursue more than flirtatious talk with the women…

There seemed to be something very wrong about Tenmaru's mental health as of late…

She gasped in awe as they reached that famous sea arcade…it looked more like a peninsula, truthfully…a narrow strip of brown sand as a beach, there was also a small meadow, in which she could possibly have a nap…

"Hey guys have you seen this?", said one of the warriors, brushing the waves with his fingers. "The water is nice, not too cold, not too hot, just perfect!"

Without even further warnings, some of them started removing their armours and stripping down…not caring the least about the ladies.

"Kami!", Rin heard Nozomi whisper.

She glanced at her and saw her green eyes widen at the sight of half naked men…Rin felt a sudden outburst of sympathy for her friend. She wouldn't have behaved any differently a few months past. But she had been graced with godly sights since then (very godly sights…of Sesshomaru walking around half (or completely) naked in the private chambers). So she couldn't care less about the warriors, quite truthfully.

She gazed again in sudden curiosity, and then saw that some of them hadn't even cared about keeping their underwear on, and she could see a glimpse of a few buttocks. She looked away before she could blush.

Okay now she may be a bit embarrassed!

What she didn't expect though, was to see a few of the healer women remove their garbs as well, with the men whistling around obnoxiously. She narrowed her eyes…now there were some risks of indecent behaviour she was sure…

Sesshomaru wouldn't have let his men behave like that…she was sure of it…

"So what do we do now?", inquired Nozomi, looking ill at ease.

Rin crossed her arms. "We could start setting up a camp?"

"You don't want to take a dip?"

The corner of Rin's lips twitched. "Well I am a taken woman, but don't be shy if you want to go…"

The kitsune's eyes widened. "No way! I am NOT going in there with naked men!", she said with a sideways glance at the beach.

"I think you need a boyfriend Nozomi", commented Rin with a mischievous smile.

She blushed. "Why are you saying that?"

"Because you eat with your eyes, fox-girl", retorted Tenmaru. He looked at his nails boringly. "Just so you know, there is another beach on the other side of the woods…"

Nozomi frowned in doubt. "Why do you tell us that?"

"Just saying", he said elusively.

"Are you going with the others?", the kitsune wondered.

"I have a letter to send to our Lord…in case you had forgotten…"

And then he just walked away…under Rin and Nozomi's bewildered expressions.

…

This journey was starting to get on his nerves.

Sesshomaru saw some of his men try to wring their clothes…but he knew it was fruitless efforts. The rain was so heavy that any attempt to light up piece of clothes soaked in water could only bring some sort of relief for a few minutes at most.

Jaken was truly miserable as he tried to climb on his own, his favourite place to hang (the fur, that is), currently in Rin's possession. Sesshomaru frowned. His servant always had a few struggles to follow him…but it was getting worse. Jaken was old after all. Since the construction of the Western Land's main mansion, Sesshomaru hadn't travelled as much as before with his lackey and it was better off this way. His ally base had increased significantly and rare were the situations in which Jaken was more than a burden on the field…Maybe he should actually promote him to some sort of important sedentary function that would keep him busy at all times… Not that Sesshomaru dreaded pointing out to Jaken that he was getting a bit old to follow him around all the time, but…why bother with what could only be an unpleasant conversation when he could just replace it with a promotion that would certainly satisfy his servant? Jaken had been tagging along for centuries now; he deserved a reward for his loyalty and devotion…maybe Sesshomaru could put him in charge of coin issues…

One of the inuyoukai's boots landed in one massive puddle; and now even his foot was soaked. He tried to minimise any display of annoyance, but soon enough, he might not resist an urge to mistreat Jaken to soothe his ever-growing irritation.

The slopes were muddy and slippery. It was a chance Rin wasn't there, or else she would have slipped to no end, that was certain.

Their progress was slow and grievous; this bad weather prevented them to move as swiftly as they should. He was supposed to report to Tenmaru once they get across the main hill. They hadn't yet…there were at least a few hours of walking left…and the worst part was that they should be there already…They were very late…If only they could be graced with less…rain and mud…

It was obvious at this point that the other troops must have taken the lead. Sesshomaru will probably have to ask them to slow their pace as much as possible. He frowned. He will probably even have to request to them to take the lead in the town's attack. He didn't like at all to send someone like Tenmaru on the frontlines, but the coast road was short, and they couldn't stay still very long without any risks of a scout or anyone seeing them… they may be spotted and ambushed…Now that would be even more troublesome…

Sesshomaru didn't want any other unfortunate event to occur. He wanted Rin to be safe… His hand slid in his pocket. The little object was still there. An intricate comb it was…He couldn't even remember when he had bought it, it must have been a while ago...but he had apparently forgotten to give it to her…

It has been a while since the last time he had made a present to Rin and he knew that Kuno had remarkable landscapes. It was close to the sea after all…

Once the conquest will be done, he was hoping they could …discuss…and he wanted it to happen in this place. The castle was stressful and it was rare that they weren't distracted with the daily commotion…

But first, they had to finish this mission already full of unforeseen disagreements, so he kept climbing the hill, looking forward to get this over with…yearning for dry clothes and his mate close to him.

…

"You think he's alright?", asked Rin worriedly, absently moving her limbs in the cool water as she searched for the carrier bird in the sky.

"Of course!", retorted Nozomi with a grin. "It has been only a few hours… I am sure we will receive his letter soon. Don't worry."

They had decided to go on the other beach after all…with a few girls following them also. The waves were gentle, massaging Rin's sore muscles from all the walking and running around. Even with some training, she felt as if she wasn't as much in good shape as she was back in the village. She was more sedentary than in her past life after all…

She glanced at the sky with concern again…It was the same thing since the beginning of their travels… Dark clouds coming from the sea would fly over their heads, and break themselves against the hills further in the lands. She just hoped Sesshomaru was not going to be showered again. For some reason, her sixth sense told her he must have been showered a lot since his departure. She hoped she was wrong.

She got a sudden chill, and then noticed her shrivelled fingers. It seemed she might have stayed in the water a bit too long.

"Maybe we should get out?", she suggested, her hazel eyes glancing one last time at the clouds.

"Good idea, the wind's kinda cold, all of a sudden..."

…

In the North, the rain was always unpleasantly chilly. Sesshomaru's fingers started to feel numb, but he tried not to focus on this unpleasant sensation…among many others…

The hill's descent was less troublesome, at least. The rain had ceased briefly and there were no sheer drops on their way down. But it was very muddy, some of his less disciplined men soiled from head to toe. Even Sesshomaru had his pants brown with wet earth up to his knees...

As soon as they reached the correspondence point, inside the valley down the hill… the carrier bird, already waiting for them in a tree flew towards Sesshomaru. The letter was so wet, he could tell the bird had been showered on his way towards Cirrus Hill as well.

_Dear alpha cat,_

"Hmph…"

Idiotic codes…of all the words he could use…he chose…cats… really Tenmaru?

_We have reached our spot as planned, shortly before noon. _

_Your dearest mouse has no scratch. Will be in perfect shape for your meal._

_I think mouse is really looking forward to be eaten out._

Oh he so wanted to slap his poor excuse for a relative right now. He couldn't believe how so many fools soiled his bloodline…

_As of I, the handsome cat leader and all the others cats, we are fine. _

_Thanks for asking. Waiting for your meowing. _

_Be quick. Sweet mouse is worried sick. _

Sesshomaru heard thunder again. He repressed a curse. Oh yes, he was so irritated with the weather now he was about to start cursing for real. It didn't even make sense. Wasn't the weather supposed to be hot during thunderstorms? He swiftly wrote back so they could be on their way, and repressed a shiver down his spine, the slight breeze bringing such an unpleasant feel on his wet…freezing clothes.

…

They all lied in the sand, bathing under the blushing sun…slowly heading towards the sea for proper rest.

Rin woke up with a start, stood up and crossed her arms, worry plain on her features. She just had a terrible chill! She was suddenly filled with dread, but she didn't know why… Tomen landed on her knees, watching her quietly, as if trying to soothe her unease.

"Something is wrong…I can feel it", she whispered, while stroking the bird's feathers absently.

"Oh shush…they're just late…", retorted Tenmaru, lazily, arms crossed behind his neck, not even opening his eyes.

"It is taking a while…", she insisted.

"Their itinerary is longe…it's not a big surprise that they would need a bit more time", he replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, enjoy the sun for a while. Lord Sesshomaru is a big boy, he can take care of himself!", added Nozomi, doing angels in the sand.

Rin looked at the beach for a while, deep in thoughts. She wanted so much to have a sign of life from him!

…

Sesshomaru watched both sides of the road with great scepticism. They had one last hill to cross before reaching an easier path, but didn't have to climb this time. The road was dug through the mountain…leaving very high earth walls around them, water trickling down at their feet, leaving the path very wet.

"Ahem, my lord", started Jaken worriedly. "Is it safe to wander on such a road?"

"I thought toads couldn't are less about the puddles", Sesshomaru retorted dryly.

Jaken twitched in fear. "The ground is not my concern my lord, but it will be hard to fight if the snakes attack us while being stuck in such a narrow path. Could your men even swing their swords without hitting the walls?"

Sesshomaru wanted to hit him. Of course they couldn't! The road was only large enough for his crew to proceed one by one…their movements will be severely restrained if they ever have to fight…But they had no choice, they were late, and more detours would be very troublesome for their mission…

As if the toad had called a bad omen, a sinister breeze brought the smell of venom and stone to his senses.

"My lord, the snakes, what should we do?", inquired a warrior.

Sesshomaru frowned. He could fly his way out, but it was not like most of his fighters were graced with such a skill. He could possibly fly up the path and try to strike a blow on the snakes, but that would prove risky, Sesshomaru feared harming more than he could help if he did so. As Jaken mentioned, the road was narrow, and now that he looked at it, Sesshomaru didn't like at all that the walls were not reinforced with stones.

"Defend yourselves if you must, but our primary goal should be to leave this path at once. We have less than a mile to go", he instructed, while concealing his concerns.

But the sound of swords clashing confirmed him not all his men had heard, or will have the time to get out... Most accelerated their pace, in hopes not to be attacked before they reach the end of the path.

Sesshomaru could see the end of it, the light…But the smell was too strong…he couldn't just…

He unsheathed Bakusaiga and spun on his heels, met a snake's fangs, and with one blow of his arm, pushed the beast back of a few feet.

His eyes widened as he got a good look at what was behind the foe. Not other snakes, or any other beasts for that matter…

"Trees?"

He glanced up and saw puddles of mud, earth and rocks, collapse from one side of the walls, bringing every parts of the landscape on them, including mature trees making sinister cracking sounds as they fell upside down in the pathway…hungry mother nature closing its mouth on them mercilessly, some of his men screaming in fright as they got engulfed by the debris.

Were they even strong enough to free themselves of such a weight on them? Sesshomaru had to leave this path, or else no one will be able to rescue them. His feet left the ground, but before he could reach the surface, the snake wrapped its tail around his waist, its heavy weight pulling him down in hell…

The last thing Sesshomaru could see was the clouds laughing at him from the sky, as the vicious earth ate him alive.

…

Night had fallen. They all stared at the discreet fire they had lit in the meadow, all three sitting around it.

"Okay now I am getting worried too", admitted Tenmaru, with a frown, while looking at the flames.

"Something's wrong…", repeated Rin, holding Sesshomaru's fur in an attempt to reassure herself.

"Calm down guys, I am sure we will get the letter soon! Just so you wait!", tried to reassure Nozomi.

They didn't speak for a while.

"What if they're all dead?", wondered Tenmaru. "What should we do?"

"Don't be stupid!", warned Nozomi.

"We can't possibly attack Kuno on our own and we can't go back to the castle…the Lady Mother would behead us all…", he continued, then he frowned in dread. "We would have to run away and become outlaws!"

"Sheesh…", protested Nozomi with rolling her eyes.

Rin held her legs nervously and rested her forehead on her knees.

"The kitsune-girl could either hunt or spy for a living…while sweet Rin could become a healer or start a successful flower crown business…"

"If Sesshomaru is dead, I go back in my village!", she exclaimed in a muffled voice through her knees.

"But you chose a life with demons, you can't leave us like that!", exclaimed Tenmaru, vexed.

"And what would you do, if we were to become outlaws, fugitives or whatever?", inquired Nozomi boringly.

He held his chin pensively. "I don't know…I certainly won't start killing things for a living. That's too messy."

"Something related to paperworks then, since you are such an armchair demon", retorted Nozomi.

He frowned at her with annoyance. "Now that would be boring…"

"Oh I know!", exclaimed Nozomi. "Just keep doing what you do with the women all the time, but ask money for it!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean that I should be a whore?!"

"Hum…yeah…"

He kept holding his chin, looking up, as if he was seriously thinking about it, then he shook his head. "Nah…scratch that. Sesshomaru needs to live…"

Nozomi stood up with a sigh. "I think I am due for a patrol…"

"Good idea", commented Tenmaru.

And then she left, and nothing was said for a while…and only then Tenmaru seemed to notice Rin still had her face lying on her knees, looking so miserable.

"You know I was joking right?", he tried.

"…"

"Sesshomaru is fine, that's obvious. He probably just got delayed…by more snakes than expected…or maybe a landslide…"

Rin moaned through her knees.

His features tensed in uneasiness. Comforting was not his thing…

"You know…even if you moan…or cry or glance at the sky, waiting for the carrier bird…it won't make the letter come any quicker…"

She finally raised her head, looking all saddened. "I know…", she whispered with a sigh. "Can we talk about something else? Maybe if you distract me…"

Then something flashed into her mind. "Yeah about healers flirting with you earlier... It is not like you to just walk away…"

He frowned and crossed his arms. "I didn't just walk away. I am currently recruiting…they just don't fit my numerous criterion."

"You've been "recruiting" for weeks, but that seems like an excuse if you ask me", she retorted with a smug smile.

He looked down. "Is it so obvious?"

"I knew it!", she exclaimed, pointed an accusing finger at him. "Spill it! What's wrong with you?", she inquired, now fully distracted.

He looked away in apparent embarrassment. "I promised Kishiko I would behave…"

Rin blinked. "What, are you…monogamous now?"

"SHHHHH! Don't tell anyone!", he whispered with shame.

Rin's mouth was now shaped into an "O".

"It's temporary!", he explained, looking irritated. "Until the little heir is made!"

"Oh… Well…it makes sense…", she whispered, pensive. "I bet it must be frustrating for you…"

It was his turn to look saddened and rest his forehead on his knees. "No pretties for a month now! Never have I missed Kishiko so much! Oh gods this is hard!", he whispered sorrowfully.

Rin smiled tenderly, thinking it was kind of silly and cute all at once to see him be so miserable for his lack of "pretties" when it was so obvious to her that he had grown fond of his wife and genuinely missed her. It was very ironic that he seemed so oblivious to his own feelings…while he called himself the king of love and seduction or whatever…

She went to sit next to him and patted him on the shoulder. "The good side of being away of Kishiko for so long is the joy and relief you will feel, once you see her again. You'll see…You'll forget all the pain in the blink of an eye!"

He glanced at the ground with sheepishness. "No one has warned me that marital life could be so nerve-wracking…"

She smiled again. "Oh now now…" She wrapped her arms around him. "Just take a deep breath and have a hug."

He tensed instantly, as if he feared for his life… then looked at both sides discreetly and dared holding her back with unease.

Rin could feel that he was of a leaner build than Sesshomaru and the gesture was kind of awkward, as when she tried to hug Inu-Yasha (Inu-Yasha hates hugs with a passion, safe those of Kagome). That did surprise her a little, she didn't think that Tenmaru of all people would dread a simple embrace, but then again, she had reasons to think that these gestures were rare in the demon world (she did remember traumatizing Sasori with that too in the past).

In fact, now that she thought about it…Maybe she should stop hugging everyone all the time…She tried to break the embrace after a while, but he wouldn't let her…just…yet…

"…My dearest…", he said jokingly to her ear with an extremely low, suave voice and perfect elocution.

She giggled. "Oh stop it you silly! It's not even a good imitation", she protested, pretending to be vexed.

He gently caressed her back. "…I'll keep you safe, I promise", he whispered soothingly.

"…That's slightly more accurate", she conceded, noticing that the tenseness was gone.

"Last one I wasn't acting. Sesshomaru would never die on you…And until you see your precious mate again, I will make sure that nothing happens to you."

That struck a nerve. She felt her eyes water, rested her forehead on his shoulder, and tightened her hold on him. "Thank you…"

She didn't try to break the embrace anymore. On a second thought, he wasn't that oblivious to the art of comforting and the Kamis knew that she needed that at the moment. Her own breathing slowed down, before she could fight back the unexpected effect of pleasant reassurance.

"Sweet Rin…it is getting awkward now" Tenmaru warned, slightly playful.

"…"

"Don't tell me you have fallen asleep?"

"…"

"...gods..."

…End of chapter…

OOOOOOHHHH *Slaps her hand* Not the best place to end I know…but then again, I almost stopped this chapter just when Sesshomaru gets buried alive…

So…3/4 of the second part is already written, which means I just have a few words to add, and a bit of edition to make. You know what to do if you want me to do it quickly!

Besides…I think you do want it to come quickly (my part twos are always better than the part ones…just saying)!

Jj: I know…he could be trouble but, right now…Sesshomaru is much more in trouble now is he? How ironic…

Karrat: I did! As usual ;)


	24. The Unforeseen (part 2)

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I didn't respond, but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy them. I always do.

It took longer than expected for this second part. I blame life.

Chapter 24: The Unforeseen (part 2)

A clawed hand came up from the muddy earth, grasping at a rock, trying to pull its way out, without great success at first, as if the body still buried was in deep struggle.

Whistles of swords and hisses could be heard by the warriors battling for their lives, none of them noticing the hand at first, but for one…skinny stripling that glanced down at the right moment. He crouched and approached the hand still gripping a rock, with the intention of assisting whoever was stuck in there, until rays of light seemed to come from under the earth, piercing through the tiny cracks between debris and stones, twinkling beams bursting in one massive blast of light, the boy gasping and stepping back, as the earth flew in the sky to fall down in a tiny rain of rock and dust.

There in front of him, stood the Lord of the Western Lands, a shoulder and his whole waist covered with gore of a snake, probably blown up by the emanation of his powerful aura.

Sesshomaru turned on his heel to meet the foe at his right, Bakusaiga slashing against the long protuberant fangs.

"My lord! Look out!", exclaimed the boy.

The inuyoukai sliced the snake's head, but the stench of scales and venom around him was so overwhelming that he didn't notice the other one already throwing itself at him. Amber eyes widened and Sesshomaru got away from the threat in an instant, but the beast still had to time to scratch part of his chest with one of its fang. He growled and snatched himself away from the poisonous weapons, but two others were already on him, one biting him on the shoulder hungrily, while Sesshomaru battled with the other one. He couldn't understand why exactly it seemed so hard to fight them, all of a sudden…his senses felt numb…

Warriors started to run towards him while Jaken croaked around…as they noticed that their leader was, on contrary of his usual fashion, in a deep struggle. Two seasoned warriors struck the foes with precise blows, and the fight was over in a matter of seconds.

"Milord…a-are you okay?", inquired the loyal servant.

Sesshomaru didn't answer, and only held his shoulder while closing his eyes for a brief moment, hoping that the fuzziness in his vision would dissipate when he will reopen them.

But it was actually worse, the ground now moving swiftly under his feet.

He kept walking, inspecting the area, trying to find where the usual path started and ended…but it not a simple matter with all these broken trees around…

"My lord…"

The sound was blurred, echoing through his ears, hammering against his skull…his head hurt so much, all of a sudden.

Before he could do anything to stop it, a feel of the ground shifting so much under his feet made him lose his balance. He fell head first in a puddle, with all his crew running towards him, some of them speculating over the fact that he might have exceeded the limit of poison his body could sustain.

Sesshomaru frowned, not even aware he could have such a limit. His body is immune to poison, his father had said…

This was not right, he was not meant to fall. He was supposed to rescue the others, not the other way around…

As his vision started to fade, he thought of Rin.

…

She woke up with a start, a side of her face on Sesshomaru's fur and her clothes damp with morning dew, as a strange papery sound vibrated next to her ear. She rubbed her eyes and finally saw what was the source of the annoying noise. A letter. She gasped and snatched it roughly from Tenmaru's hand.

It was very brief, but she recognized Sesshomaru's handwriting. She felt her heart skip a beat.

_Handsome master of cats. Your tongue is of the utmost idiocy._

_Ascent was displeasing._ _Have reached the catmint point _

_approximately four hours late._

_Proceed slowly; expect to be the first to claw around dusk._

_We will join shortly after._

It was signed "_Hungry alpha cat or any other foolish jesting you fancy_". She glanced up at Tenmaru with a slight smirk. "Hmm I think you offended Sesshomaru with your silly cat codes", she observed.

He grinned deviously. "Myeah of course…it must be the codes…", he replied evasively.

Rin darted Sesshomaru's cousin of a suspicious sideways glance, as he walked on the other side of the extinguished fire to retrieve his sword.

"Did I fell asleep on you yesterday?"

He flinched. "What are you talking about?", he replied innocently.

She crossed her arms with uneasiness, not intent to play the _yes let's pretend this never happened _game. "I'm sorry, this is not the first time I do this…Fall asleep on people…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Does it usually include snuggling up tight and bury your face against their chest?"

Oh yes she had an addition to snuggling…one of her dirty little secret.

She repressed a blush and nodded shamefully.

Tenmaru gave her a smug look and shrugged the matter away with a nonchalant movement of his wrist. "Oh don't mention it sweet Rin…I know the effect of my irresistible scent on women!"

Now she just frowned in annoyance.

He frowned back, looking slightly annoyed too. "But just so you know…if _he_ kills me for it, I will come haunt you at the worst possible moments…you can be sure of it…"

She blinked. "Don't be silly. Sesshomaru knows me", she replied with certainty.

Tenmaru threw Shinsei to her. She caught it by reflexes. "Let's stay alive first, and then we will see…"

…

Even though they were walking at their slowest pace and on an ascending slope…the walk lasted a few hours at most. It was the beginning of the evening. The path now stretched close to a cliff, with the sea crashing against the rocks below…the pathway narrow and very visible from the ocean, but very hard to see from Kuno…They hadn't been spotted yet…

The last miles, there had been a few debates among the men. Some warriors argued that the group got ahead way too much compared to the other one, while Tenmaru and a few other warriors pretended they had a whiff of the other group's scent. Others argued that it could be old smells coming from Cirrus Hill and that it wasn't a proof that the other group was really close. Some kept saying that they couldn't smell Sesshomaru's warriors and that they could have fallen very much behind. Rin had felt worried when she had heard that. She just hoped that Tenmaru was right…but quite truthfully; she did have faith…

"What about you Nozomi? Do you think the other group is close?", Rin inquired with curiosity.

She shrugged. "Kitsunes have keen nose, but not as much as inuyoukais."

"So you don't smell them?"

"Quite truthfully, no."

"Sheesh fox-girl, don't discourage Rin. I have sensed them I am sure!", Tenmaru exclaimed indignantly.

"Did you smell them for real…or do you just say what everyone wants to hear?", Nozomi inquired suspiciously.

"I said Sesshomaru is close! Stop doubting!"

Now Rin frowned, slightly more sceptical that she was before. She tried not to worry. Sesshomaru had written to them and confirmed that he was on his way…There shouldn't be any problems…right?

Unless he got caught up in something after sending the letter!

She tried not to weep at that terrible thought.

"Master Tenmaru, we have a problem", announced a warrior.

Rin stared up, and saw that the pathway was blocked with a pile of rocks.

"We have reached a point of no return", observed one of the warriors up front. "We could open the path, but Kuno is so close…they would certainly hear us. There is also an alternative route we could use, but we won't be able to carry the supplies on it. What should we do?"

"Surprise surprise…is that another thing our little informer has forgotten to talk to us about?" He glanced back at the human behind him. "What do you say, sweet Rin?"

She blinked, not expecting to be confronted with that dilemma, but then again, she was in charge of those supplies…

"Blowing our cover wouldn't be smartest thing to do, couldn't we just drop the supplies for now and open the path once we are done with the invasion?"

"Sounds logical…", he admitted.

"Now if only we could leave these in a discreet spot…maybe in the bushes around here", Rin thought out loud, while looking at a meadow…

Tenmaru nodded. "You heard the lady?", he called to the crew. "Let's drop the stuff and go kick some blue butts!"

Everything was done swiftly, the supplies hidden as best as they could, with leaves and dry branches of conifers to mask their sight and scent.

Then the strongest warriors all went up front, while the few archers stood in the middle and the healers in the back, along with a few rookies protecting them. They walked about only one mile before reaching crossroads and taking the alternative route.

Rin felt her heartbeat accelerate at the sight of the landscape and heard a few people cursing as well, the pathway becoming so narrow at some point that they could only proceed one by one, their back hugging a wall of stone, a steep cliff on the other side, stretching down to the sea. Rin looked down, feeling her fingertips tingle in a mix of fear and excitement at the sight, while the salty wind was blowing so loudly against the steep stone that it sounded like ghost singing an eerie song.

It was sunny and the rays mirroring a blinding orange hue on the sea would have been a breathtaking sight, had she not been so distracted by her own fright.

And then finally, they reached the end of the narrow pathway. Rin's eyes widened as she saw a rope leading to a mysterious hole in a ceiling of stones…the narrow cave in the rocks apparently leading to their final destination.

Without complaints, she took it in her hands and started climbing, her feet on the stone, never looking down, but she could hear the hungry waves rumbling frenetically and again the ghostly songs against the rock face.

Half way, her hands started to burn on the rough rope, and her muscles ached. She did think about holding to someone, instead of climbing on her own, but she did have some pride. She didn't want to be the weak human needing to be carried…And she wasn't bad to climb anyway…she was more talented on trees of course, but she could manage…

She reached the dark hole, and entered it. It was so narrow that she had to adjust her footing on the wall, and at some point, could only pull with her arms because of how small the path was…but the burning sensation was nothing compared to the nervousness she felt because of the unsettling darkness. She had no keen demon senses, and so her ascent had becoming incredibly slow…

After some miraculous climb during which she didn't slip a single time, she finally got out of the dark creepy holes, arms of the warriors pulling her out of it as soon as she was within their reach.

She let them drop her on the grass and indulged herself with a sigh of relief before standing up with the help of Nozomi, not very far from her…

They regrouped and moved as noiselessly as possible. They could see it now: a tall fortress sitting on very high stone foundations, the only building in Kuno that was taller than the high walls protecting the town. Some people seemed nervous, but Rin wasn't. They needed to get this over with…so she could see him again…the letter might have soothed her mind momentarily, but an unpleasant inner voice kept saying that something might be wrong…

The group walked with unsettling quietness until they reached what Rin assumed was the "back door" of the fortress.

"Who's there!", called a gruff voice, coming from the top of the wall, but they couldn't see anyone.

They remained silent a moment.

Tenmaru cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"Good evening, blue folks! We have come to besiege your pretty headquarters. Please take note it would be easier for everyone if you just opened your doors and surrendered and in a mean to avoid pointless casualties, bloodbaths and be done before diner time. What do you think?"

Rin scowled. Why did he have to make it sound as if it was just a big joke?!

The guard finally showed up from the top of the wall, looking down at them with round eyes. "Are you serious?!"

Tenmaru frowned. "Hum. Yes. Will you just let us through, please?"

"Tenmaru I don't think we are supposed to ask them permission", Rin whispered impatiently.

He blinked. "Well what do you want me to say?", he replied with Rin's own way of whispering so looooudly all the time.

"Be more aggressive!", she ordered in another noisy whisper.

He smirked deviously. "Well you're the one who shares the bed of the almighty Lord Sesshomaru. Maybe you could teach me a lesson or too?"

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"You are hierarchically speaking the most important person in this group", he reminded.

She looked up and took a deep breath, with fierce determination. "SOLDIERS! YOU HAVE HEARD THE COMMANDER! MAKE WAY AND YOU WILL BE SPARED!"

She didn't know where that came from…

…They only heard a few snickering for answer. The men on top of the wall showed up again.

"What's that? A mortal woman telling us what to do? What are you? Some cleaning wench from Kun'Ketsu?"

She tried to conceal her irritation. "I AM LADY RIN OF THE WESTERN LANDS. WE HAVE ENOUGH OF THE TERROR YOU IMPOSE IN THE NORTHERN LANDS. WE HAVE JUDGED THAT YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO LEAD THESE PEOPLE ANYMORE. WE CAN EITHER SOLVE THIS THE SOFT WAY, WHICH IS WHAT MASTER TENMARU HAS SUGGESTED… OR WE CAN SOLVE THIS THE HARD WAY!"

"You don't look very threatening for your hard way! Your pups and half breeds will be squashed like lychee puree if you move further!", the man retorted with a snort.

"YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO OPEN!"

"And you five to leave!", snapped the blue guard.

"FIVE"

The blue guards snickered.

"FOUR"

"Take position!", barked Tenmaru.

"THREE"

"…"

"TWO"

Most of the toughest of the group were already in front of the door now.

"ONE!"

"Fight!", exclaimed Sesshomaru's cousin.

The warriors roared and ran towards the doors. Rin was startled by their sudden violence, all of them hitting the doors with brute strength of axes and sledgehammers. Humans would have needed a battering ram to move this door, that was certain…

A wind of arrows was blown on them, but fighters among the group launched wind attacks powerful enough to repel them.

"Move back, sweet Rin. This is getting dangerous now", warned Tenmaru.

She went towards the back with the other healers, and heard at the same time one of the warrior yell that they needed the power of demonic auras to finish off the door. The toughest of the group stepped back, and swordsmen regrouped in a tight line. All rose their swords and launched powerful blows, with rays of firing light licking the ground as quick as lightning before hitting the door, which smashed with a deafening sound and thousand of pieces.

The warriors roared once more and ran inside.

"The healers move inside the walls, but do not go any further", ordered Tenmaru.

"Right", Rin replied.

They started to move carefully towards the entrance.

"Can you smell Sesshomaru's troops now…Do you know if they are getting closer?", she inquired hopefully.

Tenmaru shook his head. "Haven't sensed them since we have left the main sea road…"

"Is that a bad sign?.

He blinked. "…Let's hope not."

Rin gulped.

Surprisingly, they didn't look outnumbered for now, whatever the soldier on top of the walls had said. The inu troops had formed a tight line and were moving slowly forward inside the military town, while Tenmaru stayed not very far from the healers, to "protect the pretties"…

"It looks like it's going well, right?", Rin inquired worriedly, watching the scene.

Nozomi's lips were tight. "It is just the beginning. Those guarding the front doors and other sides of the high walls didn't have the time to move yet…"

And then Rin felt her breathing stop, as she recognized a familiar figure moving towards the front lines of the blue guards…

Even from afar, Kazuo looked more intimidating with his metal armour on. He kept approaching, until they could discern his expression, stern and unforgiving.

Rin blinked, thinking he looked less and less like Kohaku.

"I wish to speak with the commander of this army!", he yelled.

Tenmaru didn't ask Rin to take the lead this time, moving slowly towards the frontlines as well…though Rin did sense slight hesitation in his walk.

"General Kazuo, long time no see!", he exclaimed in a casual manner.

Rin face palmed.

"Master Tenmaru…" Kazuo paused, and crossed his arms. "What a surprise."

"I know right? It is ungrateful of us to besiege these lands after you have so kindly ridded us of your dirty snakes once or twice", Tenmaru retorted sarcastically. "Your ploy wasn't so bad, but it didn't prevent us to find out the truth. Your actions towards the people of the Northwest are unacceptable!"

Though it was kind of funny to hear Tenmaru pretending to taunt the general… Rin thought his act was probably believable for outsiders.

Kazuo smiled, but his eyes were icy. "Unacceptable you say? You, master Tenmaru warden of the Western Lands' boreal borders…have arrived to this conclusion?"'

He blinked. "I speak on Lord Sesshomaru's behalf, of course."

"I thought so. I didn't expect you to voice anything well thought out about morals…or the battlefield, or anything else for that matter…", Kazuo spat.

Rin hid her mouth…That was so different from his style while he was still at the castle!

Tenmaru smirked. "If you had been such a genius yourself, how is it that you did not find out the truth about our intentions before we smashed your pretty doors?"

Kazuo feigned pensiveness. "It must be that we were too eager to face the famous Tenmaru…"

"See? Even you have to acknowledge my renown!"

Kazuo frowned in annoyance. "It is your pompous ego you are famous for, nothing else. You act like a delayed adolescent: jesting and wooing women instead actually doing your job. You're the worst kind of noble: idle and irresponsible, a mediocre strategist and councillor, and your fighting skills shame your name. They give you special treatment because of your bloodline."

Rin's eyes widened... Did Kazuo really wanted to give Tenmaru a piece of his mind, or was he just trying to infuriate him? She felt the air getting thicker and saw Tenmaru's hands ball into fists.

He glared at Kazuo. "Speaking of bloodline, I am very curious, does the Heartlanders always let their natural child live or did you enjoy special treatment as well…Sakuza's _bastard_?"

Kazuo huffed. Now that reply did seem to strike a nerve as well.

"Lord Sesshomaru must really be in an awful position right now to rely on such a failure to represent the West…" He unsheathed his sword. "It matters not, I can clean my blade once this is done."

Rin gasped in surprise, was he really…?

Tenmaru didn't move, looking at the general's weapon with slight hesitation. "Are you challenging me to a battle, general Kazuo?"

Kazuo spun his sword with a move of his wrist in a swift demonstration of his skills. "I suppose I can aid Lord Sesshomaru in good faith again and rid him of you…", then he smiled icily. "Unless you are too much of a coward, maybe? You did let a human girl speak in your stead in front of my guards…why not ask her to be your champion too?

Rin stopped breathing and looked at Tenmaru worriedly. Was this going to happen? All of this was only meant to be a joke! Fake hostilities!

Tenmaru took a deep breath, unsheathed his blade and pointed it at the general. "What is it that you want, brat? A piece of inuyoukai for your supper maybe? Why don't you just come and get me?"

"That was my intention…"

Sesshomaru's cousin didn't answer but Rin could see he was tense.

"Don't worry. I shall be gentle with you", Kazuo reminded with a slight smile.

Tenmaru clenched his teeth, clearly infuriated. "Game on!"

Both ran towards each other, Kazuo raising his swords first and launching dreadful blue flames flying towards his adversary.

Rin's eyes widened. "Tenmaru look out! Those flames are the hottest!"

He tried to avoid it, but the blow was so wide, the flames set part of his clothes aflame.

"Damn it!"

He threw himself on the ground and rolled himself in the earth.

"Tsk tsk…what a bad start…", whispered Nozomi, shaking her head.

Tenmaru got up, and held his burned sleeve, pain plain on his features, but he barely had the time to recover before Kazuo ran towards him and tried to cut him a member, the inuyoukai stepping back just in time to avoid the blow and hold his sword in a defensive manner. Kazuo attacked him again, mixing strikes to the right, left and thrusts in unpredictable fashions, forcing Tenmaru to jump back, dodge in every direction, but it was obvious swordfight was not his art, Kazuo forcing him to be in destabilized, staggering to keep his balance.

Rin felt her cold sweats in her back and held her arms worriedly.

"Tenmaru…please don't die…"

"I'm not sure we can't count on that" commented Nozomi with a sceptical frown. "He's terrible…"

"I know…", whispered Rin. She looked around them, and noticed that the troops were starting to struggle. As Nozomi had predicted, forces coming of other areas of the town had joined in. They were now clearly outnumbered!

Sesshomaru and his troops…they were supposed to be close…

"…Where are they?", inquired Rin to herself.

"I don't know what is taking so long, but we won't keep up like this very long!", answered Nozomi.

Rin rubbed her arms worriedly. "We have to do something!"

"We can't! We aren't enough! We have no control on the outcome of this fight!"

"What can we do then?"

Nozomi frowned. "Nothing, except have faith…"

"Argh!"

Both girls stared back at the fight, their eyes widening as they saw red pool on Tenmaru's chest. He was hit!

Rin fell her blood freeze "NO!"

The inuyoukai held his sword in a defensive fashion with one hand and put the other on his fresh wound, seemingly bewildered when he saw it was covered in blood.

"TENMARU WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!", screamed Rin.

"What do you think I am doing!", he exclaimed back, irritated.

"YOU SHARE THE SAME BLOOD AS SESSHOMARU…YOU'RE A FREAKING INUYOUKAI WHILE HE'S A DAINTY HALF SORCERER USING A SWORD! JUST KICK HIS BUTT ALREADY!", she snapped.

She noticed Kazuo glancing at her, distracted only for such a brief moment…

But it was brief enough for Tenmaru to ball his bloody hand into a fist and punch Kazuo right in the face, the blue knight staggering long enough for the inuyoukai to raise his sword and unleash a blow charged with demonic aura, making the ground tremble with yellow flames lick the ground…hitting Kazuo hard, flying away and falling limply on the ground…the attack leaving a trail of thick smoke on the ground and smell of burned earth.

Both Rin and Nozomi had their mouth open, agape.

Tenmaru quivered in febricity for a brief moment, as if he had never realized he actually had such power, and then pointed his sword at his foe victoriously. "HA! THAT WAS FOR THE WANDERING ELBOWS…YOU FLIRTATIOUS BRAT!"

"Did he just say that?", inquired the kitsune with exasperation.

Rin face palmed again.

"Hey is it me or the ground trembled while I made my incredible blow?", wondered Tenmaru out loud.

"I did feel some sort of earthquake", acknowledged Rin.

He smiled pompously. "This is how great I am!"

The earth shook again, more violently this time.

"…Nope…wasn't me…", Tenmaru observed, with slight disappointment.

"Stay focused you silly!", exclaimed Nozomi.

It was very quiet for a brief moment…only the sound of distant clashes of sword breaking the silence.

"That smell…", thought the inuyoukai out loud.

"You need to pull back! Retreat!", they heard Kazuo scream from afar.

"General!", they heard another say.

"Obey my orders! Retreat to the main lands! I repeat: retreat to the main lands!"

"What's going on?", wondered Rin, looking around, watching guards running away. "Does that mean…"

"They're coming", confirmed Tenmaru. "Thank the gods we're safe! Now if that little obnoxious brat can just leave like the…"

"Don't dream too much", retorted Kazuo, back in front of him, appearing out of the smoke, sword pointed at him. "We haven't finished that fight."

The inuyoukai frowned in displeasure.

Kazuo tried to hit Tenmaru again with a swift thrust, but he dodged it and hit the sword back in a defensive fashion, but his blade made quite a strange high pitched sound as it met the general's…Tenmaru didn't bother, took a step back and launched a new demonic blow. However, Kazuo was not going to be hit so easily and did the same, his blue flames meeting yellow in one epic battle of demonic power, with Rin and Nozomi watching with eyes and mouths wide open.

However, both of them got distracted at the sound of women screaming behind them. Rin gasped when she saw what was happening. One of healers and been taken by a wild rapacious demon, and a horde of them was flying in their direction!

Nozomi didn't wait a second more and jumped on the beast that squirmed in an attempt to chase the fox away, but she clung to it and slit its throat, the beast flying down with a piercing scream of agony.

Rin sighed in relief, as the healer and Nozomi landed safely, but looked at the others coming with worry. Archers attempted to hit the foes, but there were a few who dodged the arrows. She glanced at the healers, harmless, shrieking in fear as the birds flew down in the direction, every other swordsmen busy elsewhere.

Rin unsheathed Shinsei and ran towards them, roaring wildly to attract the beasts' attention (and to give herself some courage too).

Three birds all at once. She sliced one's head, hit another one on the abdomen and missed the third, who flew up at the sight of the enraged human.

She felt the ground tremble again, and heard a sound similar to dynamite, but she didn't bother looking what it was, and waited for the second one to fly down again, hoping to be able to hit it mortally.

Not far from there, the two fighters glanced in Rin's direction, worried to see her fighting many bird demons on her own with the kitsune, while other ennemies were coming.

"What are you waiting for?", whispered Kazuo to Tenmaru.

He glanced back at him, his sword against the general's, meeting in what was seconds ago a battle of strength.

"Just knock me out already!", Kazuo finished impatiently.

The general ran away and launched a new blow of flame not so accurately, exhausting himself in the process, while the inudemon dodged it and ran in his direction launching his own blow, striking Kazuo who flew back and fell head first on the ground, seemingly knocked out.

Rin turned her head just in time to see the blow reach the general and falling…eyes closed…She didn't like that sight at all…

"Rin, look out!", warned Nozomi in panic.

She startled and looked back in front of her. As she was about the fight another bird demon flying down on her, another one threatened to hit her in the back, but the kitsune jumped and hung at its talons, stabbing it in the belly, but others were coming as well.

Rin succeeded slicing the bird that had dodged her attack earlier…but it flew up again. Rin glared back at it, thinking this one was a bit too clever for her patience.

However, she lost her concentration and felt panic consume her insides, as three new avian foes flew down…seemingly all on her. As she braced herself, a yellow ray of light struck one, the second got overwhelmed with one of Nozomi's attack, and the third one was hit with a green whip. Rin saw the bird struggling…the pull of the whip was too strong for it. The bird fell on the ground and then Rin jumped on it, stabbing the foe savagely as much times as needed for it to stop moving.

And then her eyes widened as she had glimpse of what was around her: she was surrounded by fighters all brown and sometimes a tad greenish, covered in mud and leaves, all tall and well built.

It took her a few more seconds to realize that these were the reinforcements!

"You can get up Rin. The beast is dead."

Her eyes widened and her heart started to beat heretically at the sound of the familiar baritone voice. She glanced over her shoulder…

"Se…sshomaru?"

There he stood. Green whip hitting another bird coming by and then he took out Bakusaiga and killed three others with one blow.

He was unrecognizable! Only his weapons and voice allowed her to identify him. He was as dirty as his warriors, or maybe a tad worse? His face half covered in mud, pale hair now brown and stuck on his neck, shoulders and back, and silky white garbs soiled and clinging to his skin, with wide red spots as well. She had never seen him looking so unruly. It was as if the earth had eaten Sesshomaru to regurgitate him in a puddle of sludge.

"Sweet Rin, it's okay now you can leave, the men take the situation in hands!", exclaimed Tenmaru.

She heard a beast hurl as it flew down. She almost screamed herself, so distracted she was she had not seen in coming, but Sesshomaru jumped and annihilated it in one blow, and fell on his feet next to her.

"Let us go somewhere safe", he said as he laid his hand on her lower back.

She was slightly surprised he actually wanted to get away from the fight with her, but she nodded and let him guide her away from the hubbub with the birds, and realized that the rest of the town had quieted down. All the blue guards had escaped. It seems that the wildling birds had spotted what they had deliberately chosen the easiest preys among the crowd: the healers…but their strategy hadn't been successful after all.

Rin looked back at Sesshomaru worriedly.

"Wh-what happened?", she stammered, inspecting him from head to toe again.

"Landslide", he muttered a tad sinisterly.

"Oh no!"

He sheathed his sword, voluntarily ignoring his disgraceful appearance. "It matters not. We've gotten out of this clutter on time…"

"Are you injured? You have blood on you…", Rin commented as she touched his shoulder, trying to make him stop walking.

"It's not mine", he reassured, as he kept looking in front of him.

"Are you sure?", she inquired with voice slightly trembling.

Rin walked past Sesshomaru and stopped in front of him for proper inspection, touching the redness, but it was dry. He took her hands in his. She could feel the warmth, even through the mud.

…She had missed the warmth….

"Rin…I am okay", he whispered softly.

She just nodded and looked him in the eyes, with slight gloss in her own. Before he could protest, she threw herself in his arms and laid her forehead against his shoulder.

"…you will dirt yourself…", he protested matter-of-factly.

"I don't care!", she whispered. "I was so worried!"

He spoke no more and held her back in a protective embrace, succumbing to the pleasant feel of her in his arms again…

She glanced up at him, getting lost in the warmth of his amber gaze, feeling her heart fluttering… Her eyes watered more and her lips turned into a relieved smile, as she took her sleeve started to wipe his face, with him trying to get away from it with slight displeasure on his dirty features.

"You will need a bath", she observed with slight amusement.

His gaze softened. "Do I?", he inquired candidly.

She giggled.

"My lord…what do we do with him?", inquired a warrior, holding a knocked-out looking Kazuo.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Incarcerate him."

Rin could see that Kazuo didn't expect this, his stunned features displaying slight surprise. She watched them leave with wisps of worry.

"What will happen to the general?"

"If he cares as much about casualties as he pretends, he shall spare another life and bring his own report of defeat back to his homeland. His dear sister will certainly not kill the messenger if he is the one carrying the news", he replied nonchalantly.

Rin gulped nervously.

…

Sesshomaru got out of the bathhouse, finally freed of the filthy damnation that had covered him since the earth had tried to swallow them. It was truly how he had felt, when the road closed on him and his crew all at once. Not that it was particularly complicated for him to summon sufficient strength to get out of that trap, but he had surprising struggles while fighting the horde of irritating snakes.

The healer had explained to him that the first demon that had bitten him had injected such a massive quantity of venom in his veins that even the strongest demon would experiment a weakening of his state, which explained why he hadn't annihilated all the other ones that had attacked him thereafter…and these did bite him a few more times…

He judged wise not to tell Rin about the multiple snakebites, the vertigo he had felt because of the excess of poison… and the fact that he actually had to lie down for a while because of his condition. There were limits to the quantity of venom he could bear, and he had almost reached it. According to the healer that had examined him, anyone of his crew would have died in similar circumstances... Fortunately, resistance to such harmful toxins was a trait he had acquired from his bloodline…quite a useful trait these days…

It mattered not anymore: his bites had closed and his body and cleansed the poison out of his blood. He had washed himself and by the morrow, his attire will be clean and repaired. He almost felt bad for the maid dealing with this mess, though…

For now he had to wear simple linen garbs, and he had chosen a dark tint... Marine blue it was …Rin will certainly like it more than the muddy attire…

Then he crossed his cousin, gesticulating vividly at a group of female villagers, bragging about his exploits… He was talking about a "legendary" fight with general Kazuo, during which he had summoned earthquakes and whatnot…

However, the women stopped paying attention to him when they noticed Sesshomaru's arrival, all gasping and bowing profusely…thanking him for liberating Kuno of the Heartlands' domination. At that he simply nodded and voiced his intention to have a talk with Tenmaru. They all left swiftly, his cousin watching the ladies' behinds as they left…

…A depraved dog he was.

Then he looked back at Sesshomaru, seemingly nervous.

"So…how many snakes were there?", he inquired. "More than a hundred I bet?"

"Double."

Tenmaru crossed his arms, looking slightly concerned. "You reeked of poison when you arrived…"

The youkai lord remained impassive. "I killed many snakes."

His cousin scoffed. "You've been bitten pretty bad too. You can say whatever you want to your mate, my nose sense the truth."

"Mine can just as much." Sesshomaru replied with icy stoicism.

Tenmaru's eyes fidgeting at his right.

"Your flesh got burned during your fight", Sesshomaru added casually.

His cousin answered with a strained grin. "Y-yeah I must reek as well…I suppose…"

Sesshomaru left any other topic related to scents for now…

"How did Rin fared?"

"Oh she managed on her own most of the time…" His interlocutor smiled wickedly. "…I found her a little blood lusty, for the pretty little thing she is…"

He thought that too, he had been quite baffled by the way she stabbed at the bird that he had captured with his whip…

"Wasn't she the target of wildlings?", he inquired.

"Mostly when she was away from the healers." Tenmaru smirked. "You do know that it's not after her they are after, right?"

Sesshomaru frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The wildlings…they don't care about her blood: they usually seek the weakest prey… When you arrived, she was fighting with the birds because she defended the girls. They were not after her at first!"

"Hmmm…" Now Sesshomaru was intrigued. He regained his composure. "Earlier, Rin mentioned to me that you were sniffing at her heels all day long…"

His cousin looked annoyed. "She said that?"

"It is not a reproach.", added Sesshomaru instantly. "In fact, she also said that you saved her life and that she was impressed by your power. She thinks you are the most powerful among my vassals."

Tenmaru's eyes widened.

"You should train more", Sesshomaru concluded evasively, starting to walk away. "Do you know where she is?"

"I saw her walk towards the house close to the cliff with a few girls…"

…

Sesshomaru leaned on the doorframe, as he watched Rin train two of his healers how to repair what seemed to be a damaged human leg…

"Is this how we do it, my lady?", inquired the young demon healer.

"Yes. Push now!"

"aaaAAaaaAARgh!", let out the human.

"Kami!", exclaimed the young girl.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. Had they just moved the man's broken bone?

"And what do we do now?", inquired the other healer, a bit older, bandages and sticks in her hands.

"The injury needs to be cleaned…", answered Rin, as she examined what they just did.

"Again?"

"Yes…"

"Okay let's do it!", exclaimed the youngest one, that had recovered from her past shock, but she tried not to look at the scowl on the man's face as she cleaned the wound…

"Place the sticks around his leg and keep them there with the bandages…but you have to put just the right amount of pressure…", instructed Rin.

She started doing the trick with them. Curious, Sesshomaru approached the group, watching over the girls' shoulders.

"That way?", inquired one of them, as she turned the bandage slowly around the leg.

"Yes exactly, cover the entire leg", instructed Rin.

"Will he even be able to walk?!", exclaimed one of them.

"With a cane, he will in due time…but he shall rest for the first few days", Rin smiled. "It is only temporary anyway. In a few weeks, he will be as good as new!"

"It…hurts!", protested the injured human man.

Rin gave him an infusion that she had prepared for him. Something for the pain…she said…

"You did the same treatment for your bird. You called it a splint.", Sesshomaru observed. "It works with humans as well?"

Rin only then seemed to notice his presence. "Yes…it works with any living being with bones!", she exclaimed with a smile. "It could work, even on you!"

Sesshomaru displayed annoyance at that remark.

She blushed slightly. "Assuming that demons can have broken bones of course…I still haven't seen that yet…"

He nodded. "Are you done now?"

"There are a few people left…"

"Urgencies?"

"No", she conceded with a yawn. "This one was the last I think…"

"Then I suppose it is time for proper rest", he suggested.

"Yes Lady Rin, please let us take care of the others!", said the first healer.

"You have fought for us too! You must be exhausted! And what is the fifth rule of the healer's code?"

Rin smiled. "A healer should always be in the best of shape…Fine, you have won. Please don't hesitate to fetch me if you have any questions…"

"Of course, Rin-sama!"

She smiled and left the hut with Sesshomaru, clinging to his upper arm reflexively.

"This town has the potential to be beautiful", observed Rin casually, as they walked in a large cobblestone street, villagers bowing as they passed by. "If only not so many buildings were destroyed…"

"There are still many wonders you have not seen", he said softly. "There is one I would like to show you…"

She yawned. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it will be too late."

Her eyes widened. "Okay then…"

They walked along a cliff, while hearing the sound of the wind whistling against the rocks and foamy waves down below crashing on the lands. Both enjoyed the quietness for a while, after this day of stressful hubbub. They faced a high rock wall, with a few patch of green among the cliff.

"Now we must go up", he announced. "Hold on to me. We will fly."

She gulped nervously and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clutched to him tightly. He was slightly amused by her fear…as if there was any chance that she would fall…But then again, her body was not used to the sensation as much as him, and so he judged no more. He held her thin waist with both of his arms in an attempt to soothe her and flew up slowly, with her facing the seaside, and as expected she did gasp in awe. They landed on one of the grass patches, wide enough for the both of them to sit, but even then, she still clung to his upper arm as he let her go. The surface was small after all…and the fall would be high.

The sea was endless…a mass of little rolls moving towards them in an eternal, steady dance of the black waters. The dim light of the moon and stars was leaving sparkles on the sea, and the clouds were moving swiftly, high in the sky, a pristine veil on the darkness.

"Do you see the yellow light, towards the South?", inquired Sesshomaru.

Rin squinted slightly. "You mean…just over the water?"

"Yes."

"I do…I wonder what it is…", she whispered.

"A bonfire."

He felt her stiffen against him. "On the water?"

"There are lands …"

"Really?"

"Right there stretch Kun'Ketsu's islands. This bonfire was lit to celebrate their victory in Katari: the fight they made with general Yuudai at the same time as ours…"

Rin gasped. "Really?" She smiled. "How wonderful…everything went well then…"

"It seems so…even though there were many unforeseen incidents…", he confirmed while looking at the glowing, distant lights. "These flames show the new frontiers of the Western Lands…"

"You won't be able to call it lands with islands included…", replied Rin with wisps of mischief.

"I am aware", he replied casually, then he looked away, seemingly deep in thoughts.

Rin rested her head on his shoulder, and he caressed her hair soothingly, in a long moment of serene silence. However, his mind was everything but peaceful at the moment.

"I have something for you", he said in a low voice, taking out the intricate comb from his pocket. "It is a miracle it is still in one piece…"

Rin took it in her hands with an amused smile. "Sesshomaru…I must have a hundred of those!"

He raised an eyebrow with slight reserve. "Would you mind having a hundred and one?"

She giggled, looking slightly moved. "Of course not…", she put it in her hair, magenta and golden decorations beautiful in her dark mane. "I love it", she whispered and pecked him on the lips.

He resumed his toying with her hair, Rin now noticing slight tenseness on his features. "There is something else I would like to talk to you about…"

"What is it?", she inquired softly as she took his free hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

He remained silent a while. "Rin…I do not want you to feel pressured. It is but a mere question…"

She glanced back at him, now clearly intrigued.

Amber eyes dove into her own. "When would you like us to wed?"

She felt a lump in her throat and looked away at the sea, her eyes wide, silent…

Sesshomaru caressed her hand with his thumb, feeling dread darken the pleasantness of the moment.

…Maybe it was not the best of time to ask. Maybe he shouldn't have asked…

"Actually you…you have never asked me if I want to wed you in the first place", she observed, as she glanced back at him with a nervous smile.

He blinked.

"You just asked me where I wanted to live, and if I wanted to be your mate…not your…" She paused, and looked back at the sea. "…your wife…"

He frowned in slight confusion. "But I thought that I said that…"

"You implied many things, yes, but you have never asked me", she insisted, tone indecipherable.

He hated when he couldn't guess her thoughts…it was so unusual…The flames looked dim, all of a sudden, on Kun'Ketsu.

"So I should ask?", he wondered, barely louder than whisper.

She nodded. "…Please…"

He didn't respond right away, regretting the bluntness of his past question. He knew his way of doing things was not what was usually expected for human marriages, and even less for lords (who usually rarely take a wife of their choosing…) How should he do it then? Could he just ask the question straight off? Her mysterious tone did unsettle him…

"Did you already have the impression that we have met before?", he asked suddenly, while staring at the sea.

She blinked, eyes widening. "In another life you mean?"

He nodded.

She shrugged. "I…wouldn't know…why? Have you…do you think you have already met a past reincarnation of me?", she inquired curiously.

"Not in my current life, no."

"Then, what makes you think so?"

He took a deep breath and looked at the moon. "All my life I have sought something nameless. I thought it was power and domination I was searching for…but I realize today that it wasn't just that."

She felt her heartbeat speed up. "What was it then?"

He hesitated. "I am still not certain. But I know that this feel…of running round in circles…is gone…"

"Maybe it is because you found the power you were seeking for?"

"Power is trivial…", he replied evasively, then frowned as he watched the patterns of the waves, deep in thoughts. "Quite truthfully I think all this time…it was you I was searching for."

Her eyes widened, watering with a new wave of emotion. "M-me?"

"Everything makes sense since you are here", he looked back at her. "I kept wondering why…I supposed that it might be that we have been acquainted in another life, I do not know…" He paused for a while, enjoying the sound of the tide. "What I am certain of is that I want you with me, until the grave. I want you to be my wife and mother of my heir. It is now a certainty in my heart and I am ready to acknowledge it to my people…"

She felt tears fall and brushed them away, because she knew he hated their sight.

"Once, you said that without me, you would be lost…" He listened to the waves again. "It is the same for me. And so…if…your feelings have not changed…I think we should face the hardships together as husband and wife…

She repressed a sob. "Sesshomaru…", she whispered, moved and overwhelmed all at once.

"You've never said it…the question…", she insisted with her voice so quavering.

He glanced back at her.

"Please…" She closed her eyes. "It is silly I know, but I need to hear it…"

His features softened as he nodded. "Rin…Do you wish to become my Lady of the West?"

Tears fell down. She closed her eyes.

He had said it…he had said it…

And he has not died before saying it. She has fallen in love again and he did ask her.

…She felt freed of a curse, unchained of the nightmarish underworld…out of the darkness…

With Kohaku it had been slow…it had taken months (years) for her to develop a soft spot for him…but in the end, it didn't even happen…

With Sesshomaru it was so different…Fiery, passionate and wild from the beginning… her body afire with simple touches of his fingertips, feeling her heart flutter at each glances and uncontrollable affection each time he addressed her…

…Deep inside, she had always loved him, she knew. She had loved him for years...He had been her first dream, her first fantasy. It was actually because of him that she had taken so long to warm up to Kohaku. Sesshomaru had been the one to steal her heart first… but even then, she would never have predicted what would follow…the intensity of it all…

From the first time they had this midnight talk about killing, she had felt some sort of strange connection…and then when he had stared at her for the first time, after he had showed her the herons…she had felt it too, this connection, she didn't know what it was at the time, but now she knew it was the both of them trying to look at each other's soul…meeting a brand new time, but this time she was an adult and capable to understand him…And then, when they had eaten together and played hide and seek , from there she had known, that whatever was of the platonic bond they had in the past was gone…

And thereafter were the not-so-secret courting, his entrancing whispers, the dance and all the rest…and she had fallen…fallen…fallen more as time passed by. Each new discovery about him making her love him a bit more…

Rin felt Sesshomaru caress her teary cheek. She opened her eyes again.

She grinned teasingly through her tears. "Well I have been thinking about it, and on second thought I think I would rather go back in my village…"

She never thought he could actually whiten before this moment.

"It was a joke!", she exclaimed with laughter as she wiped her tears. "Kami did you really believe me?!"

He didn't answer, still looking shocked.

She shook her head, feeling more tears fill her eyes. "Sesshomaru…I have no idea if we were already together in a previous life but…I know that…life is…" She cried. "Short…sometimes…and this life with you…I want to live it, because it might be our last chance…"

He laid his forehead on hers, now assisting in tears wiping. "So you accept?"

She smiled. "Of course, what did you think?!"

He paused for a while. "You had me worried…"

"Oh forgive me love…it was mean", she whispered with an apologetic smile.

And then she pressed her lips on his and he obliged in a tender kiss, sharing the febricity she sought for, while he wrapped his arms around her waist, and she wrapped hers around his neck, rejoicing that he prolonged the ministration in his own passionate way.

"We met in autumn…", she whispered, with a slight smile as she remembered when he laid in the grass, injured...so long ago… "Would it be too soon?"

"Hmmm… Maybe during the month of frost…"

Her smile widened. "There are pretty chrysanthemums during the month of frost…"

He kissed her hand. "We shall see if that is manageable, once we will be back …"

She blushed. "During the month of affection, it is chilly but I suppose it could be appropriate too…What do you think?"

"Hmph. The sooner the better." He caressed her cheek. "You don't feel pushed?"

She giggled and laid her head against his chest. "On the contrary…", she whispered as she looked at the waves, hearing a bird or two starting to chirp, for the night was already old. "I feel…liberated".

…_almost entirely liberated…_

…

The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff was even louder than usual that day, because of loud winds over the sea. They could hear it very distinctly from the Western coast's mansion.

The baron Hatsuno watched his daughter twist a strand of her hair nervously. Her lips, normally pouty like her mother's, had morphed into a tight line by concern.

"Father, you shouldn't do it…", she whispered with a clipped tone, looking at him with her wide purple eyes.

He crossed his arms inside his sleeves, ill at ease. "Takara, you know I must. Lady Sasori has requested it…"

"Just wait…another day and then…maybe…but not today!", she begged with a trembling voice.

"It is my duty…"

"…Their eyes father!", she whispered, her own watering. "Have you seen their eyes?"

"Looks are not actual weapons…"

She shook her head and threw herself in her father's arms. "Father…we have lost mother and Shiro already…"

He patted her back reassuringly, even though he felt fear as well. "That's enough, Takara. Nothing will happen, let me through", he ordered gently.

She nodded and broke the embrace, watching him walk towards the exit with a few members of his personal guards. The wide doors opened with a sinister creaking, revealing the dark landscapes, threatening clouds of the late summer season over the sea giving out the threat of a typhoon passing by…

He walked on the main path leading to the port, ready to face the threat. He knew the Lady of the West expected a full report about his actions in two days from now, and if he postponed another day, any information he might send will not be received in time. Not only that, but Lord Sesshomaru and his human-mate were about to visit the coast, in only a few days from now. Hatsuno had to demonstrate that he had taken actions before his suzerain's arrival to handle his subjects, or else he feared that Inu-Taisho's son might unleash his wrath on him…If Lord Sesshomaru realizes how the relations with the subjects had degenerated as such …he might just decide to behead him!

The baron Hatsuno kept walking, he could now see the head on a pike, close to the moored boats of merchandise. It had started to rot from many days staying there under the sun, while he had been away at the main domain's castle.

He knew it was not just any head. It was the head of a merchant…a half-breed merchant…from Kun'Ketsu.

…What a bad timing for such a diplomatic incident…

He cleared his throat and stared at a crowd.

"This is an act of the utmost horror!", he exclaimed. "Guards! Remove the head at once!"

They bowed and removed the pike, ending the demonstration of obscene violence.

"Whoever can inform us on the perpetrator of such ignominy will be rewarded a 1000 gold coins", he continued.

But before he could finish…all men took out their swords, rakes and any other excuse for metallic weapons and started tapping with the tip of it on the ground, creating a high pitched and unpleasant sound. It started as a chaotic hubbub, but soon enough the sound became orderly and dreadful…announcing some sort of threat Hatsuno didn't want to have anything to do with.

"Let's go", he ordered his personal guards.

They started to walk back on the pathway, as the villagers kept tapping with their weapons on the ground, but then, something was thrown and fell at Hatsuno's feet with a repulsive squish sound. His eyes widened at the sight.

Another head!

And a third one was thrown and fell right on a guard this time, who cursed and tried to get at the culprit in the crowd…as the others kept tapping with the tip of their swords.

Hatsuno barked orders to his guard to leave the crowd, so they could get back inside his castle at once, but he didn't obey. The second one went after him, but soon enough, both were engulfed by the peasants, impossible for the protector of the Western Coast to see anymore.

His purple eyes widened, and he started praying the kamis, the crowd now closing on him, with warriors tapping with their swords as they kept walking and walking…towards him.

…End of chapter…

A/N: Especially the fluff part of this chapter was sometimes comforting, other times just salt on my wounds. I have to deal with heartbreak right now (not the first, but certainly the worst in my life until now), and it felt very...very ironic to write on a proposal when my own situation is all the contrary. I am not saying this to be pitied, but rather to warn you that it could take a while for the next chapter to come out because of this specific reason (the reason being: me having to find a new home and restart my life, generally speaking…).

But I promise I will not let you go, this story I am very intent on finishing it…

With all this bitterness I need to vent, I might start to update some of my French unfinished work as well (bal des mascarades maybe ,there is plenty of place for sorrow and bitterness in that one)? But just maybe…


	25. Bloodlust

A/N: So here it is…a new chapter…

My head is filled with sludge of confusion and melancholy right now. I am surprised I succeeded doing something in less than one month. I am not sure what it is worth, but sludge-brain judges it's not so bad…and writing is so therapeutic. I was lazy during revision though, so I suppose this is not my best writing, but I am sure most of you care more to see the story progress than clean grammar, so I update anyway.

You shouldn't read this chapter in a public place. Just saying…

Enjoy.

Chapter 25: Bloodlust

Rin watched Sesshomaru, sitting peacefully under the shade of the sacred tree…silvery hair blown ever so slightly by the early summer breeze, shorter strands framing the side of his face, hiding part of his markings, but even then, it was still obvious he was not human…His perfect complexion and the unusual shade of his hair and irises were obvious sign that he was an intruder in this village of mortals…

She crouched in the bushes as she kept inspecting him. He didn't come so often, as of late. She knew he was very busy building his empire. She was amazed he still cared enough to come …once in a while, to sit under this tree, or in Kaede's hut, sometimes, apparently to see how she fared. She frowned; thinking her protector will always remain such a mystery…

However, this time…Sesshomaru had shown up in a very untimely moment.

Rin blushed in embarrassment, as she remembered the outcome of her last truth or dare game!

Being the silly girl she was, Rin had chosen dare, and had been challenged to peck Sesshomaru-sama on the cheek. Oh of course it was so innocent…and meant to satisfy the girls' sick curiosity about the youkai lord's reaction at such an eloquent demonstration of affection…But the more that she approached him, the more anxious she became! Rin had never ever tried to peck her lord protector on the cheek - even when she was a little girl - and now being a young maiden of fourteen, she feared that this silly gesture will be wrongly interpreted (and make Sesshomaru come even less often).

She blinked as she watched his hair being blow by a shy breeze again. It was fascinating how his mane was sensitive to the slightest of wind…

She shook her head and stood up. It was a silly, silly challenge! Of course she could do it! Lord Sesshomaru never was angry with her…Certainly he won't mind one stupid…

She stopped breathing as she noticed that her feet had brought her in front of him already. Sesshomaru did not even dignify her with a glance…seemingly lost in his contemplation of the horizon, as usual.

She inspected his angular features and pale complexion…looking ageless, yet young all at once. For the millionth time, she tried to guess how old he would be if his state of maturity was converted in human years. He certainly looked much more adult-looking than Inu-Yasha, but not very old either, certainly below 30…

Maybe he could be of Miroku's age… around 25 years old? She was certain that Sesshomaru would have absolutely no wrinkle of expression if he ever smiled or laughed (not like it was ever going to happen anyway).

She wondered how he felt inside. He was so much older than everyone else in the village…did he felt strained like some old humans? Was his young features only a façade, or did he feel as young as he looked? Did he ever have silly thoughts, or rash emotions and wants…like most humans…

Like her?

"Rin."

She gasped, and blushed as she noticed that his penetrating amber eyes had locked with hers, face still as stoic…and…

So handsome!

She blushed harder. What had she gotten herself into!?

"You have never requested permission to sit before", he observed acutely, with his soft baritone voice…

She blinked. "I-I wasn't necessarily requesting permission…my lord…"

She didn't explain her trail of thoughts any further and just sat in the grass next to him. It will probably be easier to achieve her goal if she sat close...

She gave him a discreet sideways glance, now inspecting his profile and relaxed expression. He truly was pleasant to watch…The silky, fancy white and red fabric giving out the nice shape of his shoulders…He was such a perfect mix of refinement and masculinity…She had grown unaccustomed to such beauty, after years among humans.

As a little girl, she did admire how good looking he was. She had also been quite amused by the fact so many women were swooning over him…She did get why now though…these days…with these terrible blushes that only seemed to get worse as she got older…

She repressed a sigh. Even with her prettiest kimono on…she felt out of place next to him like this…If only she were a fully-grown demon woman, maybe she could have rested her head on his shoulder. She was curious to know how it felt like, to rest like this on a man…

Rest like this on _him_…

She kept admiring his features shamelessly, thinking how blessed she was to have been saved by him. Yet she felt cursed as well…cursed because he will forever ignore how her feelings for him have grown complex and out of control. Kaede had warned her that her admiration for him might harm her eventually…

But she couldn't help it. Rin always felt her heart speed up when she looked at the moon, because she knew Sesshomaru was doing the same, somewhere else…

Sometimes she wished he would look at her the same way he stares at the moon …but he was a mystical being, and probably not even capable to admire women like human men could. He was above that. He was sacred, godly and his sole presence in this village and attachment to her was of the oddest occurrence…

She looked down an instant, thinking about Kaede's warnings, yet…she decided to dive towards him slowly, intent not to ask permission, for intense fear of having to explain herself and her silly motives. She wanted to get this over with. She knew the girls were watching, but they might lose focus if she kept beating around the bush...

Rin squeezed her eyes shut as she kept approaching him, unaware of his confused sideways glance and sudden tenseness showing in his jaw and shoulders.

_Yet, that's it, get this over with Rin! With a bit of luck, he will not even react, and then you will be able to run away from him without seeing his reaction!_

However, hazel eyes reopened as she felt a warm hand rest on her cheek and stop her.

His amber gaze was so close. He was now entirely turned towards her, meaning that she saw all of his face, from so close! His cheekbones and jawline and burning…amber eyes, scrutinizing her…seemingly trying to solve some sort of puzzle in her face.

She looked at him look at her, having absolutely no idea what to do!

And then she saw his golden eyes travel very…very briefly on the lower part of her face, as if he had glanced at her lips. Rin felt her face heat up at that thought and her heartbeat accelerate…not even aware that her features were so drawn to him…an invisible force pulling her in his direction…

His hand was firm on her cheek. "What are you doing, Rin?", he asked suddenly, now displaying slight bother by the closeness, it seemed…

She blinked. "It's-it's not my fault", she stammered nervously, getting away from him briskly. "It's truth or dare!"

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Rin cleared her throat. "It's a game. The girls challenged me to give you a kiss on the cheek…"

His features hardened. "This would be inappropriate."

She felt something inside of her break into pieces. She looked down. "My apologies, master. This is indeed…silly childishness…"

"I suppose that you will lose if I decline?", he inquired without even looking at her anymore.

She blinked in confusion. "Wh-what?"

He gave an indecipherable sideways glance. "You said it is a challenge. I assume they will judge you negatively if you do not oblige to their foolish request?"

She smiled with embarrassment. "Y-you could say that, yes."

"…Do it", he ordered laconically.

She blushed again. "What? But you said that it would be inappropriate!"

He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "Just get this over with."

He looked away again, and she felt some sort of inexplicable void when he did so. His way to stare straight to her soul were making her insides feel warm with something she knew she had no right to feel about him.

She took a deep breath and dove…giving him one quick peck on the cheek, warm flawless skin surprisingly pleasant to touch with her lips, but she tried not to think too much about it, as she got up, away from her guardian and protector. Her limbs felt so limp! She looked at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, as he stared back, with his unblinking amber eyes.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

She gasped and looked up, noticing a few girlfriends bowing at her from far away, and Kohaku was there too, back from his demon slaying.

She looked back at Sesshomaru, who gave her an icy sideways glance.

"Your _mortal_ friends are waiting for you."

She laughed nervously, bowed and left, running away from her source of embarrassment.

Oh why had he agreed?! He should just have shooed her away!

It was not even the kiss that had troubled her more, but the feel of the skin of her face tingling and burning all at once as his perfect features had been so close to hers, with his face turned towards her only a few moments before the kiss could occur! She thought that she…even felt his hot breathing against her face. How embarrassing was that?! What if she had…landed on his lips instead of his cheek?!

She felt all dizzy now…

However, Rin did feel a little hurt by the way he had reminded her of her _mortal friends waiting_…as if he wanted to remind Rin that…it was with those humans that she belonged…not next him. Surely he was right.

Or so she had thought at the time…

One hand wrapped itself gently around her wrist as Rin tried to slide out of the sheets.

She looked at her left, feeling her heart flutter as she saw Sesshomaru look at her with his usual warm…loving gaze he so often displayed when they were alone. Oh, if she had known…a few years back…how their relationship would change…

"Where are you going?", he whispered softly.

She made a moved smile, as she caught glimpse of disappointment in his voice. She decided against getting up and slid closer to him instead.

"I was just…going to let you sleep."

"After being away for so long…I expected that you would be more affectionate…"

She grinned. "But you had a hard-sleeping episode again!", she protested playfully.

He snuck closer, brushing away loose strands over her eyes. "I have been awake for a while. You were simply too absorbed with your musings to notice…"

She laid her head on his chest, smiling. "I was just…reminiscing past events…"

"Which one?"

"The first time you ever wanted to kiss me…"

He frowned suspiciously. "When was that?"

"When I was playing truth or dare…", she smiled mischievously. "When I was fourteen…"

He looked indignant. "What are you talking about?"

Her smile widened. "Oh don't play innocent. I wasn't sure what it meant at the time, but now I know…"

He looked away. "I had no such yearnings when you were still a child…"

"You gazed at my lips…certainly you must remember…"

"I especially remember how you threateningly dove in my direction…"

She blushed. Now it was her turn to look away. "I meant to kiss your cheek…"

When she looked back at him, she saw a glimpse of smugness. She crossed her arms. "Okay…I may have been carried away very briefly. So what?"

"You did place me in a delicate position."

"How so?"

"Inu-Yasha was watching."

She snorted and raised a playful eyebrow. "Now what…would you have behaved differently, had he not been snooping around?"

"No. You were a child", was his curt reply.

"You weren't even a little tempted?"

"No", he repeated, now annoyed.

She displayed slight disappointment.

Then she felt him kiss her cheek a few times…as if silently wanting to distract her from the peculiar topic…

"Does that mean I am not a child anymore?", she inquired with a playful whisper.

Sesshomaru climbed on Rin, kissing her briefly on the lips, light, yet warm and luring. "Of course not. You are a fully grown, magnificent young woman, with an entrancing fragrance of kadupul blossoms…", he blew to her ear.

She blushed…very well knowing he was referring to a rare, yet beautiful flower blooming only under the moonlight with a unique and lovely scent…

Then she frowned a bit. "Entrancing…fragrance…you say?"

"Hmm-hmph", he simply replied, now kissing her neck while both of his hands rested on her waist, starting an enticing strolling on the fabric of her night robe.

"Is there something wrong with my scent?"

He paused briefly his seduction attempts. "No. Why are you asking?"

She looked at her hands nervously. "I was told it is different as of late…"

"Different…"

"Yes."

He glanced up at her and frowned.

She frowned. "You disagree?"

He caressed her hair "…To me your scent changes as often as you change clothes. I don't understand why it was even mentioned to you…"

She felt instant reassurance at that. Nozomi did say that her nose was not as keen as those of dog demons…

Rin closed her eyes and sighed as she felt Sesshomaru massage her shoulders softly, her muscles relaxing instantly under the pressure of his warm hands. He dropped soft, tender kisses on her lips as he kept going at his very pleasurable attentions. He had fallen asleep so quickly the night before (as soon as his head landed on the pillow, in fact), that they hadn't even had time to celebrate their reunion and officialised engagement properly...

"I stopped taking moon tea", she blurted out.

He stopped kissing. She instantly regretted voicing it, afraid of what he might say next…

In fact, he didn't say anything.

"Are you mad?", she prompted nervously.

She wasn't sure if he would be mad because she had stopped taking it, or because she hadn't stopped yet, but she knew she had never brought that up with him, since that time…when he had just shrugged off the topic with an irritated-sounding monosyllabic… Later on Nozomi had gasped and told her it was a beverage for whores…courtesans at best, female demon warriors not even bothering with it, on contrary of human demon slayers…

"Why did you stop?"

She looked out of the window and noticed Sesshomaru's upper part of his garbs, hanging, drying up to the wind. "I…once had the impression bearing you children would be negatively perceived, but it did strike me that it might not be the case anymore…"

He frowned "I thought it was because you did not feel ready."

"I suppose it was a bit of both…", she whispered.

"Did someone implied things to you?", he inquired, his piercing gaze now scrutinizing her.

Rin cleared her throat... "I suppose I was unconfident about your court's perception…and yours as well…"

"What have I done to make you doubt as such?", he asked, a bit dryly.

She gulped. "Nothing…", she muttered. "But…you have called Inu-Yasha a half breed so many times in the past…I thought that you might consider a child of mine a…burden…"

She felt his aura quiet down. She supposed that he judged her explanation satisfying.

"It would have been true of a simple concubine…not you…", he reassured.

She didn't answer.

"I apologize if I made it seem this way…", Sesshomaru continued.

"Please don't… I should have asked you, instead of jumping to conclusions…", Rin muttered. "But I was not ready for children anyway…"

"How can you ever feel ready if I fail making you feel safe?"

"Are you trying to take all the blame again?"

He took her hand and kissed her fingers. "Dearest…", he whispered, glancing at her. "I want you to feel at ease…"

She smiled softly. "We are getting there now…I am not afraid anymore."

"Not at all?"

She looked down. "Hanyou pregnancy can be complicated sometimes. Can you make sure I get proper care?"

He caressed her cheek, corner of his lip almost twitching up, but the inner battle was unnoticed. "I find it hard to believe you dared voicing that question..."

She smiled with amusement and blushed slightly, while looking at him silently.

"You will be the most important person of the Western Lands…are you even aware of that?"

"Not more important than you."

"I insist…You will only be surpassed by the heir..."

She giggled softly. Her...Rin…the most important person of the Western Lands? A human! How ironic was that?

She laughed louder when she felt Sesshomaru's hands roam on her ribs and brush the sensitive spot on her belly, as he resumed his kissing of her neck.

"It tickles!", she protested between laughers.

"Forgive me."

"Would you like it if I…"

She counter attacked with tickling attempt on his stomach. He got away from her with his demonic speed.

"Oh Kami it worked!", she exclaimed with a gasp.

He made a face, not going to answer that with words.

She giggled more and tried to reach him, but he caught both of her wrists and pushed them over her head. Oh it was frustrating how he always got the upper hand with the slightest effort…

"Don't force me to mistreat you again", he warned.

She writhed against him and squealed as he kept tickling with one hand and kissing her…all at once.

"No! No! Stop!", she begged while laughing hysterically.

"Will you quiet down or must I keep chastising you?", he inquired haughtily.

She shot him a smug look and retorted with a swift lick of the side of his face. He squeezed an eye shut and gasped silently.

He was so classy and sophisticated. He will be grossed out that is certain…He was going to get away from her and then she will win the battle…

No… instead, he let her wrists go, both of his hands landing on her cheeks and his lips crashed on hers, not very long after his tongue ravished her mouth. She moaned in surprise, feeling her body heat up. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as he kept bewitching her with his lustful kissing.

"I-I don't mind it, but I think it is getting late", she whispered as he let her mouth go while opening her night robe a bit roughly.

"I don't care", he mumbled with all the baritone richness of his voice, while pouring rain of kisses on her skin. "I want you now."

Rin watched him with sinful awe, certainly not going to protest to his procrastination of his lordly responsibilities. She moaned a bit more loudly than she intended as he nipped a breast, sending an thrilling feel through her body.

"…Maru…", she murmured with a blissful smile, and flushed cheeks. "If that's so…don't make me wait."

That order made him rush to remove the few clothes he had left. She discarded her undergarments, while she panted uncontrollably already. He hadn't even touched her there yet, but he could tell already that she had missed him, her yearnings so great he was mesmerized.

He ate her with his eyes. Her mane was already unruly on the pillow and her hazel eyes had become the entrancing dark shade as she spread her legs open, luring him with her womanly charm. He felt his body stir. He crawled on her, dropping kisses here and there, with her moaning softly, her soft legs wrapping themselves around him as soon as he reached her level. He liked when she did so. He reached his favourite spot and then stopped: he buried his face in her hair, close to the nape of her neck, closing his eyes and he breathed in her intoxicating fragrance, like a good sake, getting always better as time passed by…

Rin was his. All of his. Heart, body and soul. Her trust and affection so great she was already willing to grace him with children. He felt inebriated, but they hadn't even started their lovemaking yet.

He stopped breathing her sweet scent and immersed himself within her, the feel of her warm body wrapped around him, numbing every rational thought. He couldn't control a quiet sigh coming from the back of his throat. She caressed his cheek and pressed her lips on his, while he buried himself deep.

Soon enough, she started calling his name in wicked songs while his mind was lost somewhere past the sun and clouds.

…

The sounds of waves and steady…unstoppable movement of the wooded floor, swinging right and left, was an endless reminder of their journey on the sea. Endless indeed…As many demons…Kazuo did not like boats very much, and he was cramped inside a tiny room, damp and suffocating with heat…There was this one drop of sweat dripping down his back…continuously.

"Oh look at this one!", squealed the high pitched voice of a woman outside, sounding muffled through the walls. "It has the shape of a whale!"

"Whale? Where do you see that?", inquired another feminine voice, a bit less high pitched.

Kazuo opened his eyes at the sound of that voice, noticing for the first time the figure through the pale curtains…Rin's silhouette, based on the dark colour of the hair…

"Right there to the East!", added her friend.

"Pfff! That is boring, kitsune girl. The one right there is much better…", chimed in a male voice, familiar also, but Kazuo didn't like this one that much…

"What is the matter, general?", inquired another voice: low and stoic.

Kazuo glanced back in front of him, inside the room this time, to stare back at amber eyes blazing with irritation…or even fury…Lord Sesshomaru not exactly the most expressive character. He was not easy to decipher, but the general assumed that the grimness of the leader of the Western Lands should not be interpreted as a positive sign.

His yellow eyes looked out the window...slight smirk on his lips as he noticed his other half, then he looked back at him, with a gleam Kazuo didn't like very much. "Were you distracted as such, when you got word of hundreds of snake demons inhabiting Cirrus Hill?", Sesshomaru inquired, tone dripping with sarcasm.

The general stared at his tied hands and shook his head. "I swear my lord… This was an honest mistake. Had I known these beasts were roaming in that area, I would have told you."

Sesshomaru remained impassive. "…Two hundred snakes gone undetected…Is this some sort of jest?"

The Heartlands' general shrugged. "I understand your scepticism, my lord. I must say that if I had something to hide, I would have come up with a better excuse than that…"

"So your sole proof of credibility is the idiocy of your tale?"

"I was gone for days and my men didn't patrol in that area during my absence. A negligence on our end. That area is usually so quiet…I only learned about these beasts after you left your castle. There was no way for me to warn you without detection…"

The Lord of the Western Lands did not blink. His stare had something predatory, like a half-starved wolf. He was impatient now, that was certain…

"So if I want to trick the Heartlands, I only need to strike from a reputable quite spot, is that it?"

"I think I did mention to you that we lacked men when you attacked…" Kazuo repressed a slight smile, and looked away, towards the window again, as he heard a high pitched _You are so silly Tenmaru_. "I am sorry that you had to deal with this unexpected incident. However, you did manage it wisely. You detected the demons on time and made the right adjustments to your strategy. Had master Tenmaru's troops been the one to venture there…the casualties would probably be very different…", Kazuo continued, while he unconsciously gave a sideways glance outside again…at the sounds of feminine giggles.

Sesshomaru stood up silently, walking towards the captive and slammed his hands on the wooden table with a loud BAM! Kazuo startled.

"Will you just stop looking at my mate when I am talking to you?", he growled.

"I-I wasn't looking at her…", the young general stammered.

"Hmph."

"I swear this is the truth…" Kazuo cleared his throat and looked back outside with a frown.

Sesshomaru's jaw tightened. He took the general by the collar and slammed him against the wall roughly. Kazuo's features grimaced. The wall of the cabin was cracked under the impact.

The chirping of the people outside had stopped.

The inuyoukai smirked defiantly. His face was not very far from Kazuo's now. "Enlighten me then. Was it the clouds you were staring at ?"

"No. I was watching master Tenmaru", Kazuo retorted with sudden fierceness, blue eyes now staring at the lord. "My lord, with all due respect how can you trust him so?"

Sesshomaru raised a sceptical eyebrow, slightly taken aback.

"You seem to trust him, and I don't understand why…is it because he is your relative?", insisted the general.

"I see no point to grace your odd questionings with a proper response."

"He is lecherous man… constantly following your mate…he is greedy", Kazuo muttered "…and a coward…"

"Who defeated you in battle."

"Your mate was the one talking to my men when their troops arrived. Your vassal couldn't even fight on his own… before she reminded him you shared common blood and that he had no excuse for defeat…"

Sesshomaru didn't answer. This was a whole new tale, compared to all the other versions he had heard …

"I assume you let him win the fight?", he felt compelled to verify.

The general didn't answer, but Sesshomaru didn't need any voiced response to understand.

"Why did you insist that we cut your hair for a fake defeat, then?"

Kazuo chuckled. "Now how would that look if I got back home without the haircut of the defeated warrior?"

Sesshomaru frowned. This was Central Lands' culture. He had no precise knowledge of their doings, but he doubted a simple haircut could truly reinforce the general's credibility.

"Without Rin's diligent support…Tenmaru might very well have failed. Besides…I can't help but think that his apparent friendship with your mate is a mean to conceal his own infatuation for her…"

The lord narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Rin is a beautiful woman. You must have noticed...", Sesshomaru replied sceptically.

Kazuo blushed slightly and looked down. "She is, I will not deny it. She is an exquisite young woman, brave and dutiful. Had I been in your position, it is likely I would have made the same choice…"

Sesshomaru blinked at that, trying to conceal his surprise. Kazuo sure was transparent about it…

"…but I swear I have no hidden intention in her regards. However, I cannot say the same of a self-centered character like Tenmaru. From what I've seen, I am not sure he would be the most uncomfortable deceiving you, if that would be necessary to protect his personal interests…"

"These are grave accusations, general…"

"Indeed. I do not trust cowards", Kazuo replied a bit bluntly. "Take this friendly advice my lord…Allegiance motivated either by greed or fear of the suzerain should not be mistaken for loyalty. Tenmaru may be obedient today, but put that same man in a superiority position in your regards…and who knows what he would do of Rin and his vows to you…"

The Lord of the Western Lands felt his jaw clench against his will. He knew his relative was much smarter than he looked, and he sure knew how to behave to stay out of trouble… but Sesshomaru never had any reason to doubt Tenmaru's loyalty…

He stared back at the captive, with threatening stoicism.

"Is this truly what you call a friendly advice, or are you purposely bringing the attention on another topic than yourself."

Kazuo frowned and looked at his feet. "Believe what you must, my lord…"

"Why do you tell me this?"

"As I said. These were friendly advices. If you want to keep this man close, at least test his loyalty a bit more…before giving him what he seeks…"

This part at least…seemed like a wise advice.

Sesshomaru let his hold on his captive loosen. He walked away, to the door of the cabin. "We will arrive to the West's frontier soon. Rest assured…I am not done with you yet…"

Kazuo saw the youkai lord leave the room, closing the door behind him. He was a little amazed he hadn't been tortured yet…or killed…maybe Sesshomaru wasn't as cruel as his reputation gave him out to be…

…

"Oh great gods, I can't believe this is finally happening!", exclaimed Tenmaru, while throwing his arms in the air for extra drama.

"Why must he always be so obnoxious about his petty needs?", brooded Jaken, next to Sesshomaru, both of them leading the walk , while the three "Merry Wives" (slightly pejorative nickname used by the court to talk of Rin, Nozomi and Tenmaru) were behind, along with the general, his hands still cuffed and playing prisoner.

Sesshomaru's cousin huffed, as he looked up at the thick foliage of the forest. "These are not petty needs, Mr Frog. Today is the most important day of all!"

"He is talking about the signature of the treaty?", inquired Kazuo softly to Rin.

She shook her head. "He is talking about his reunion with his wife!", she whispered.

"Exactly! Today is the day I will resume my marital duties with my lovely Kishiko!", exclaimed Tenmaru, squeezing his eyes shut with glee. "And no need for another attempt at discretion sweet Rin. How many times must we remind you that demons have better ears than humans?"

"Actually, I don't think my earing is any better than most humans", corrected Kazuo matter-of-factly.

Tenmaru huffed. "And you're bragging?!"

The general cleared his throat. "My bloodline has other skills, if that may reassure you…"

"What type of skills?", inquired Tenmaru, doubtful.

Sesshomaru turned his head, ever so slightly.

"We have no particular sense of earing or sense of smell, but we feel auras very precisely, and some of us have forecast abilities…"

"What…rain forecast?", Tenmaru retorted mockingly.

Kazuo smiled mysteriously. "Do not jest with the weather, master Tenmaru…"

"You have overall good magical abilities too. You seemed very strong on the battlefield…", continued Rin with curiosity.

"I do have good control of blue flames", he replied with slight reserve.

"My own skills are badass too", retorted Sesshomaru's cousin childishly.

No one saw his relative up front close his eyes in exasperation.

"Of course they are Tenmaru! You were very strong too! Kishiko will get to see with all the war marks you carry now!", replied Rin with a grin.

"What marks? Everything must be healed now", retorted Nozomi with surprise.

"She can still see the traces on my clothes! The burnt fabric and the dried blood!", Tenmaru exclaimed with great worry, pulling and looking at his shredded and soiled garbs.

"I don't think you needed to keep your old clothes for her to believe you…", Rin observed with a smug smile.

He looked at her hopefully. "You will tell her what happened on the battlefield right? You will speak of our great victory and my heroic acts?"

She patted with shoulder. "I will tell her everything I have seen…Everyone will know of it!"

"Your remarkable piece of acting will be sung about", added Sesshomaru with barely concealed sarcasm.

Kazuo pretended he was scratching his upper lip (successfully hiding all the lower part of his face), Nozomi just giggled without hiding it, while Tenmaru simply looked at his cousin.

Rin had great struggle to retain her gasp, Tenmaru glaring at a mocking Sesshomaru was quite a rare sight…and quite funny actually…

The Lord of the Western Lands stared back at his mate, and showed the empty spot next to him with a discreet nod. He needed not beg her more, as she warped next to him, while the others kept chit chatting and arguing.

"What is it?", she asked discreetly.

"Nothing."

"But didn't you just asked to see me?"

"I did so, yes."

"Why?"

He dove towards her ear. "Must I always need a reason?"

She blushed gleefully and shook her head, intertwining fingers with his as he kissed the side of her head. It was one thing of him to display his love in private, but these unexpected demonstration of affection in public she was graced with once I a while always made her feel special…

"In any case, the blocked path on the searoad was not pleasant at all! We had to crawl and climb on a really steep cliff, and sweet Rin was scared…"

"I wasn't scared", she retorted back, while glancing over her shoulder.

"Do not trouble yourself. It is his own fear he is talking about", replied Sesshomaru casually.

Kazuo snorted this time.

"Hey this is mean!", protested Tenmaru. "I protected your mate for days without a single complaint and this is how you thank me?!"

Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder to shoot one of his piercing gazes, while his interlocutor shrank of a few inches.

"Respect is to be earned. Though you have done a few steps forward, I have yet to see genuine bravery from you…"

"He was brave…", defended Rin boldly.

Tenmaru smiled conceitedly.

Then she blinked. "He did need a lot of encouragements, but…he was at least a little brave…", she corrected.

"Oh sheesh, you ruined everything now!"

They started to hear the sound of warriors discussing with vivacity, and soon enough they knew why. Quite a high mound stood in front of them, earth half covering uprooted trees, rocks and other debris. Rin felt her eyes widen, as she looked at a cliff to their right, realizing that it must the result of a landslide. She approached the mound, curiosity hitched by the unusual sight.

"Rin. Don't move closer", ordered Sesshomaru.

She frowned. "Why?"

"These soils are unsteady."

She nodded and took a step back.

"What is the meaning of this? There never was any landslides around here before…", thought Tenmaru out loud, as he carelessly climbed on the mound, kicking a dead trunk with annoyance.

"When there is a lot of rain…", started Kazuo.

"Someone must have done this on purpose", interrupted Sesshomaru's cousin with mistrust. "Any idea, _general_?"

His wide blue eyes blinked. "How should I know?"

"My lord…ahem if I may…this landscape is very similar to the one we witnessed after we had to endure the landslide during our journey in Cirrus Hill", observed Jaken.

Sesshomaru approved silently. "General, could it be the work of the Heartlands' wildings?"

Kazuo looked pensive. "…I…wouldn't know. I am not aware of any tribes using such strategy…but it could be new…"

"So you judge it plausible?"

Tenmaru cleared his throat. "I notice the trunks are still wet with sap, so this must have happened recently…which means it can't be pretty boy's soldiers on their way back…it would have dried out more than that…Besides, it would have been idiotic of them to trespass on the Western Lands, my men would have hunted them. I would also be surprised if any peasants had something to do with this. There are no villages in these areas…and why the hell would they do that anyway?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Must I assume that is your way to support the theory that the wildings are the only one who could have done this, Tenmaru?"

He shrugged. "Nah, I just talked about sap to look smart and all…", he replied sarcastically.

Sesshomaru blinked.

"Of course I agree! It must be the snakes again!"

"…There is a foul scent around here…", thought Sesshomaru out loud.

"You can smell that, even though it rained?", inquired Tenmaru.

"Sesshomaru… you said that some of the snakes got killed during the landslide. They would have done it…knowing they could kill themselves in the process?", inquired Rin.

"I highly doubt they would value their own life very much", confirmed Sesshomaru.

"Hmmm… it would be unusual of the snakes to use such tactics in battle. They tend to prefer…brute strength", commented Kazuo.

"Their strength would be sufficient to destroy the landscape as such", insisted the Lord of the Western Lands.

The earth started to rumble, Rin feeling the ground move under her feet. Sesshomaru grabbed her upper arm gently and took a few steps back, while the warriors were already unsheathing their swords, moving all around them, readying for battle.

"Oh sheesh, looks like we are about to find out", observed Tenmaru, slightly exasperated.

"Stop your whining and prepare yourself", retorted Sesshomaru, all in dryness.

It didn't take any longer for a few snakes to hiss and get out of their hiding spot, attacking a few guards in the frontlines.

Sesshomaru unsheathed Bakusaiga. He glanced at his cousin and the fox vassal. "Protect Rin and the captive."

He moved forward, quick steps towards the foes, with many warriors following behind.

Rin took out Shinsei, ready to fight as well, though she had to repress a sigh of annoyance, for she knew she will be once again treated like a fragile harmless being. Soon enough, the snakes multiplied and she could only watch nervously, these scaled beasts being by far the ones she despised the most among the wildings.

"I could be of assistance if you only lent me a weapon", offered Kazuo, hands still tied.

"In your dreams…prisoner", Tenmaru spat back.

Then a scaled snake rushed in his direction. He dodged the reptile with a gasp and struck it with force, his sword doing a peculiar shrilling sound as it landed on unbreakable skin.

"Between the scales!", reminded Nozomi.

"I know!", he exclaimed with irritation.

He struck back, but the snake rotated before his sword landed at his target, blade colliding with the hard skin again.

And…

It broke in three pieces, two of them flying in the air before falling like mere debris in the grass, leaving only a thin shard attached to Tenmaru's sword handle.

"CRAP!"

The snake threw itself towards Rin. She raised her sword, ready to meet the beast, but Kazuo ran in front of her, even though he was weapon less. He rose both of his tied hands and launched blue flames on the beast, to no avail. Pointed fangs closed on one of his arm before he could get away and the scaled tale enrolled around him. He was now the prey.

The beast retreated and crawled towards the woods.

Rin felt her body starting to shake…but she couldn't tell if it was of fear of anger. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out, the scene all too familiar. She had seen too many people hurting because of these monsters.

…Long ago, she had promised Sesshomaru she wouldn't do rash moves based on emotive impulses, but today…she knew she would fail to please him on this matter.

She ran towards the beast through the thick foliage, raising her sword, resolved to end this. She could hear her friends protest and run towards her, but she knew that none of them would reach the beast before her. She was a quick runner.

"Damn it, Rin!", exclaimed Tenmaru.

Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see her disappear in the wilderness. He slayed his opponent nonchalantly and hurtled down the hill for a proper intervention.

Soon enough, Rin reached a muddy grove, an ideal spot to strike. She roared like she did during the other battle against the birds in Kuno and struck with deadly precision between the scales, dark blood splattering, while the creature hissed and let Kazuo fall limply on the grass.

The beast turned towards her and launched a new attack. She dodged it and struck between the scales again, behind the neck.

"Aaaaargh Rin get away from it!", panicked Tenmaru.

"Oh stop it! Don't you see she has everything under control?", retorted Nozomi, not far behind.

Sesshomaru stopped his running as he had a good glimpse of the scene…very different from all those he had seen of Rin with snakes before. The training had helped. Her moves were swift and precise…she didn't spill pointlessly her limited energy. Her weapon was appropriate to slay that foe. His young vassal was right. Rin did not seem to need any assistance.

In fact…the sight was breathtaking.

"My lord, what shall we do?", inquired a guard, catching up with the lord.

"Nothing. It is her battle", he replied while he kept watching her intently.

The beast tried to bite her another time, but the last attack was her best opportunity. She thrust her sharp blade inside of the beast's mouth, the monster falling on the ground as she threw herself savagely on it.

She felt invisible lightning cross her body as the blade pierced through the flesh. She did not quite understand what was happening. The fight was energizing her… Rin removed Shinsei from the snake's mouth and stabbed again, and again and again…and again…barely seeing the gore. It didn't even feel as if it were her arms slaying the beast…it was as if an invisible vengeful force inside her limbs had taken over.

It had never felt so good to kill something as it did that day.

"Gods!", exclaimed Tenmaru.

Kazuo just watched with bewilderment.

Sesshomaru made a few steps towards her.

"Rin…"

She kept stabbing.

"Rin…it is dead…", he stated. "It has been for a while."

She stopped suddenly, as if pulled out of her trance, briefly glanced at her bloody blade and threw it on the ground. Her body started to shake uncontrollably and before she could stop it, she started to sob, still sitting in a straddle position on the snake, soaked with its blood.

Sesshomaru watched her for a while, and then stared back at the crowd. "Give us some privacy."

The people dispersed, some of them half-heartedly.

Sesshomaru kneeled and touched her shoulder, in an attempt to bring her back to reality.

"Rin…are you okay?", he whispered.

"…I am not injured, if that is what you mean…", she answered between sobs.

"Why are you sad?"

She shook her head, while touching her heart. "I-I'm not…"

"What is it, then?"

She looked at him, lip quivering. "I-I don't know…", she replied meekly.

He brushed her cheek with his hand, and then looked at the blood on his fingers with tads of amazement. "You have just killed a mature scaled snake demon..."

"I'm sorry…I had to do it…", she whispered. "It attacked Kazuo…"

"You don't have to apologize for a situation that you handled", he replied curtly, while he brushed the tip of his thumb with his other red fingers. He remained quiet for a while.

"How do you feel?"

She let out a shaky breath and looked at the dead beast's face.

She did disfigure its face.

"For Kazuo I had to…but for Kaede and Kohaku too. For myself as well…I think. I had to do it. I-I think I feel better now…sort of…"

"Aren't you overwhelmed?"

She took a while to answer. "No. Actually…I think I feel good. I feel…relieved", she smiled and wiped the tears. "I killed a snake…and I wished I could kill many others…How strange is that?"

She looked back at him. He was looking at her too, unblinking. "I believe you have just experienced a killing impulse."

Her eyes widened, while looking back at the beast. She knew she could have left the task to another warrior, let them act on their own; but she couldn't help it, her limbs had moved before she could do otherwise. She struck the beast…and killed it mercilessly…and…

She liked it.

Rin looked back at Sesshomaru worriedly. "…It is wrong right? It shouldn't feel so good to kill!"

"…Hmph."

He licked the blood on his fingers, while he kept staring at her. She felt hair rise on the nape of her neck.

"If you want a morality lesson, you are asking the wrong person…"

She blinked, then shook her head. "Kaede would not understand…she would be mad…"

"But you aren't a human miko's apprentice anymore. You are one of the strongest demon lord's betrothed…and you just demonstrated now that you understand it…and even feel it…"

"Feel what?"

"Urges. Like mine."

She felt goosebumps on her skin while she looked back at him, surprised by his slight smile.

"…You taught me love…and I taught you bloodlust…"

She let that sink in her mind, unsure what to do of it…

"Impulses such as these can be tamed, but not eliminated. You only need to discern the moment such needs will increase your power, rather than weaken your judgement, and exploit it to your advantage…"

He wiped the other side of her soiled face and showed her his index finger covered with snake blood.

"Taste your prey now. Embrace your fierce side."

She should be disgusted and say no.

Instead, she took his finger in her mouth and sucked, eyes locking with his…ambers suddenly burning with an intense level of primal urges…

She knew, that if there wouldn't be so many people around…

He pulled at her obi.

She gasped.

"Here?!"

He gave a long lick on the remaining blood spot on her face and kissed her with his lips and tongue still full of it. She moaned when she felt one of his hand already on her breast, while the other started the undo the clothing.

She did not protest. The need was strong in her too, as if the snake blood had been a powerful aphrodisiac…flowing through her veins.

He pushed on her shoulders, to make her kneel on the muddy soil. She looked at him disrobe himself in the plain daylight, not quite believing they were going to do this while the others were waiting for them, it didn't make any sense, they should just move on and wait later…

"Put your hands on the ground."

"It's all…muddy…", she protested shyly.

"Trust me. You will like…", he whispered as he kneeled behind her, caressing her back with his bloody hands.

She looked at the red marks his bloody fingers left on her white stomach, and felt her body melt…

And so she obeyed, and took a deep breath, eyes closing as she felt all of him enter her from behind, his want so great she could feel her insides stretch, this new form of pleasure making her moan.

Less and less she felt like a human, as he mounted her like a feral animal, his hands now covered with mud and blood soiling her breasts while he grabbed them fiercely, fingers sliding against her nipples, while his sweaty torso glided against her back. Some part of her thought this was horribly wrong, but it felt so right…

She fell on her elbows and arched her back during the ecstatic feel of her body tightening even more around him, to a point he could hardly move.

She looked at the dead snake's head as she felt her body quiver. She shouted her elation, not caring the least to be heard. He growled as he filled her, knowing the blissful relief was only temporary and that the needs would torture him constantly until her belly started to swell.

…

Rin sat at the wide table, trying to focus on the maps and treaties in front of her.

They had arrived the day before at the Northern border's mansion (Tenmaru's mansion, in fact…). This is where the signature of the treaty would occur…as soon as Lady Miyah and general Yuudai would show up, that is. They were supposed to arrive at any moment now…

No one had commented about Sesshomaru's (and her own) creased clothes during their travels…after the ferocious lovemaking in snake gore…except Tenmaru with two or three puns he couldn't keep inside his mouth (the last one deserving him a rock behind his head).

However, they hadn't heard of him since they had arrived in his mansion. In fact, Kishiko was unable to greet them as cordially as she had intended, because of him grabbing her like a pouch of rice that he held on his shoulder quite primitively as he ran towards their chambers.

They did hear a bit of ruckus, but Rin supposed she wasn't the best-placed person to complain about it. She was sure she and Sesshomaru had done much worse with the snake incident. She still couldn't believe they had done that. Yet for some reason, she was not ashamed.

Well…she was a little shy about the incident at first, but then Sesshomaru made her some kind of face, that she understood as a mean to say that it was not her place to be embarrassed, for their subordinates had no right to express any sort of judgement about their ways (or at least, this is how she imagined he would say it had he voiced his thoughts out loud). If he, king of secrecy, cared not to be ashamed, she didn't why she should.

In fact, Sesshomaru had been unusually demanding during the past few days. She assumed that her benediction for bearing his children affected him more than he was willing to admit.

She felt a mix of excitement and trepidation at the prospect of being with child. Back at the village, many called her a late bloomer because she was always turning down boys, and procrastinating with anything to do in regards to commitment with a man…She didn't understand why she was uneasy about the matter. At the same age, Lady Sango already had two children and had no problem with it. Kagome was slower…but she was from another culture. Yet, even though a bit of uneasiness in front of the unknown remained, it was the first time that Rin felt confidant enough to embrace the role of mother. Her love for Sesshomaru ran deep, and she knew that she would deeply love a child of his as well. She also had the feeling that he will do a remarkable father. Each time she had seen him in presence of children, he had an extremely patient behaviour (even with those emitting high pitched shrieks). Also, there was a mix of authority and gentleness to his way to be, that seemed to work fine with many of them.

She did feel a bit uneasy about her own abilities. She didn't confident having an authoritative role around children. Most of those that she had babysitted in her life seemed to think that it was party time when she was around and she rarely succeeded having control on them…especially with Inu-Yasha and Kagome's little bra…ahem…turbulent children. Sango and Miroku's were much easier to deal with (though…quite numerous). She supposed that the parents' personalities had an influence.

She blinked, thinking any children from Sesshomaru would surely be very calm and smart…or possibly joyful and bubbly, if they retained some of her traits, but then she frowned as she remembered how lively she could as a kid sometimes…and stubborn…

Sesshomaru could be stubborn too…especially when his pride was involved…Rin scratched her head. Yes…that wouldn't be surprising if they birthed a little pig headed prince or princess…That might be troublesome…However, she knew that they will both fight very hard to make sure the little heir would not become a spoiled child taking all for granted (though she suspected that she will have to monitor Sesshomaru's prone habit in regards to presents). She shook her head in amusement at that thought…

…She just hoped that no endless wars would keep Sesshomaru away from fatherhood…

"You will be there for us, right?", she blurted out.

His eyes left his paperworks, to display an inquisitive glance.

"When…there will be more than two of us…", she continued shyly.

His features softened. "Dearest…do you doubt me?"

She blinked innocently. "I was just asking. …You might have to go on the battlefield… From what I was told and what I noticed myself, you like to be away a lot…"

"You like to be away too…"

"I will have no choice but to hold the fort…"

He crossed his arms. "It did occur to me that in most realms, lords stay within their walls, hire sufficient warriors with the intent of avoiding the riskiest tasks…"

She was doubtful. "You hate walls…"

He uncrossed his arms and leaned against the wall behind him. "Recently, I found out that they are less smothering when you bear them with me."

She felt her heart melt.

"I will not abandon you, Rin. Though many demons do not value the benefits of parenthood, I do not share their views. I think we should strive to give our children what we both lacked…"

A tear rolled on her cheek, as she looked down. "You sure know what to say…"

Without Rin noticing, Sesshomaru came sit next to her and encircled an arm around her shoulders. She snuggled against his chest.

"You are afraid…", he stated in a whisper. He could feel it.

She tensed in his arms, and he felt her nod against his chest.

"My mother…I…didn't have her for long. My memories are vague. I especially remember being on my own a lot. I am not sure I would know how to… watch over a child…"

"You strike all the foes like only a wild dragoness would. You can do it already."

She giggled. "It is more complicated than that…"

He caressed her hair. "You are a brave woman…and you have the kindest soul. Whatever you do, it will be right."

She snuggled tighter.

"In fact…I have more trust in your abilities than in mine."

She giggled. "Really? Why?"

"I fear I might not succeed bonding with them as I did with you."

"Ridiculous. I always find you so perfect in presence of children! In fact, you seem to be fond of them!"

"…Is that so?"

"Sesshomaru you are being silly now!", she exclaimed with a small voice. "All the women were squealing during the audiences. You are every mother's dream!"

"Not mine."

"That doesn't count!"

He paused. "I think we are both nonsensical in a way…

She nodded with a grin, as she broke the embrace. "I can only agree…"

The door opened…

"I hope we aren't disturbing you too much?", inquired a feminine voice.

They both glanced over their shoulders. Rin grinned. "Kishiko! You are alive!"

"Of course now, what did you imply now, sweet Rin?", wondered Tenmaru innocently.

"That you fornicated your wife to death?"

Rin gasped. "Sesshomaru! Don't use words like that!"

"Why?"

"It sounds so wrong in your mouth!"

Tenmaru chuckled. "Not to death…but close to."

"Honey, it's impossible to make love to death!", his wife exclaimed cheerfully.

"Don't challenge me", he warned, swelling his chest.

They both laughed and slapped hands.

Rin smiled. "Kishiko, you look beautiful today! You are glowing!"

The blue haired demoness grinned. "Oh thank you sweetie. You are glowing too! Everyday I've seen you!"

At that the human blushed. Apparently, the glowing concept was unknown to demons…

"May we proceed?", inquired a formal feminine voice.

"Right, of course! May you please step in and sit with the lord and his mate!", exclaimed Kishiko with a wink, stepping out of the door.

"Good", Lady Miyah retorted with an impatient huff, while eyeing Tenmaru with wisps of contempt.

Rin had the reflex to try to stand up, but Sesshomaru simply laid a nonchalant hand on her shoulder, intent to remind her of her hierarchical importance…Not that Rin thought that she was more important than everyone…but if he thought it was better for her to behave as if she was the Lady of the West already, then so be it!

"Be careful, this woman is in a bad mood today!", exclaimed general Yuudai, stepping in as well.

"I apologize for not being in the mood for your boyish talks…I must admit I was a little disappointed that even the Lord of the Western Lands succumb to such a trivial topic just then."

At that Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, as the Lady of Kun'Ketsu bowed for him.

"My apologies my lord…I think I've got my earful of these in the past few days. We also had such horrendous travels it left a chilling feel in my bones…", she continued.

"Horrendous you say?", wondered Rin.

"Yes…alas…the tide was terrible…even for me…I bet we'll have very bad weather soon…", Miyah answered as she sat in front of Rin. "And I had to bear with this…man…", she said haughtily while pointing Yuudai with a nod.

"Oh, you are one grumpy old lady!", huffed the lynx as he sat far from the she-wolf.

And then Kazuo was the last one to get in, with two guards escorting him.

"Hey fellow general, ropes on your wrists look great on you!", exclaimed the lynx jokingly.

"I know right?", insisted Tenmaru, sitting swiftly next to Rin as soon as he glanced at the boy.

"You are always on his back! Come sit next to me general I will not bother you like them!", exclaimed Nozomi with a slight blush.

Rin blinked, and started to think the fox vassal had a soft spot for Lady Amane's little brother. That one better be careful or Tenmaru was going to start spreading rumours…

Sesshomaru examined the papers in front of him. "I suggest we move forward with these matters as according to plan…", Sesshomaru cut off all in dryness.

"I second", answered the she-wolf.

"Jaken. The treaty."

"At once, my lord!"

"I, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, on this twenty-eighth day of the month of Month of leaves, hereby announce the beginning of this special meeting, hosted in Lady Kishiko's and master Tenmaru, warden of the North's mansion, with attendance of Lady Miyah of Kun'Ketsu, general Yuudai, instigator of the NorthWest's rebellion and defeated general Kazuo, former protector of the Northlands. We are to solve a territorial matter. With the sworn acceptance of the Western Lands' council the time has come to decide of the fate of the Northwest, stretching from the western sea to the Fun'jin mountains…", he turned towards the guests. "My Lady, general, now is the time to report about your battles…"

"We confirm success and conquest from the extreme North to Fun'jin mountains", answered Yuudai.

"Lady Miyah, shall you confirm?"

"Yes, my lord. Katari was taken without any struggles. The towns on the northern coast as well, though the bad weather disrupted our travels slightly, our mission was successful all the same, with limited casualties."

"Good. Kuno and its areas were taken as well. We however got delayed by landscape issues and premeditated ambushes of the snakes…"

" Premeditation remains to be proven", added general Kazuo with a low voice.

"It is very unlikely two hundred of them stepped on us by luck", retorted Sesshomaru.

The general didn't argue.

"Did you have to cope with unexpected casualties, my lord?", inquired Lady Miyah with concern.

"Not as bad as it could have been. Hopefully, my troops were delayed, but we arrived on time to support Tenmaru's men…"

"Who has done the leaders' battle?", wondered Yuudai with curiosity.

"Tenmaru did", answered Sesshomaru.

"HE defeated Kazuo?!"

"Of course he did! Master Tenmaru is a fine warrior", vouched Rin with a sweet smile. "I was there, I have seen everything! He is so strong he even broke his blade on a scaled snake during our most recent battle!"

Yuudai snorted. "That's because he used his blade wrong …"

"Even you are strong enough to break a sword, Lady Rin", insisted Lady Miyah.

Tenmaru just facepalmed.

"I broke a sword not too long ago and it was not because of poor skills. A blade can shatter more easily if it is not forged strong enough to sustain the wielder's strength or the foe's resistance", added Sesshomaru casually.

Lady Miyah smiled quietly, while glancing at the lord with her good eye. "Indeed, but it is a rare phenomenon…"

"Not out of my bloodline's reach", insisted Sesshomaru with cold stoicism. "Now if we are done with the superfluous comments about fighting skills, I assume we can proceed with the signature?"

"Yes my lord. Forget my bad mood. This old Lady is not eager to give up her power…", Miyah replied earnestly.

"Let's get this over with. Nao will start worrying if I get back late…", continued Yuudai.

"You mean the human Lady you are not involved at all with?", wondered Tenmaru innocently.

Yuudai frowned. "Yes that one…"

Jaken sprayed the paper on the table, all wide and impressive-looking, by Rin's standards at least…

Sesshomaru didn't look at the paper twice (he had written it himself, after all…) and signed, with long and elegant characters.

"Here it goes…", mumbled the first general, scribbling his signature second.

"It is for the sake of my people…", whispered Lady Miyah with slight exasperation.

The paper was given to general Kazuo, which had the task to sign as the witness, and then the paper was brought back in Sesshomaru's hands.

"There's a blank space, left there…", he observed to Rin with a low voice.

She threw him a very sceptical sideways glance. "Last time I regretted it deeply…"

"None will oppose this time…", he insisted.

Rin's eyes widened. "…You have her accord?"

"Yes."

Now Rin was surprised! She made a moved smile and took the quill, reading only the most prominent line.

_As of the twenty-eighth day of the month of books, the NorthWest and the Kun'Ketsu Islands shall form the three newest provinces of the Western Lands, as of today, renamed, the Western Realm._

She signed just next to Sesshomaru's name, her fingers doing all the work on their own, while her mind just looked at the task being done under her eyes.

Lady Miyah laid her chin on her fist and raised an eyebrow. "Not that I like being a killjoy, but Rin is just your mate. Does this signature have a symbolic meaning you would like to share with us…"

Amber eyes were smiling "It does."

Rin heard a few people gasp…and felt her heartbeat accelerate.

"Rin and I are betrothed. We are to be wed sometimes during the month of frost, but the exact date remains to be determined. I deemed it fair for the new hanyou subjects to see the signature of at least one human on this treaty. The signature of the first Lady of the Western Realm…"

"Oh gods Tenmaru! Two historical announcements under our roof!", exclaimed Kishiko.

He stood up ceremoniously. "Old sake for everyone! And thou shall kiss for the luck!"

Rin blushed. "In front of everyone?"

"First rule of this house. Demonstration of affections are allowed", retorted Tenmaru.

Sesshomaru raised a sceptical eyebrow. "What is the second rule?"

His cousin blinked. "I don't remember."

"Oh it matters not! Please a kiss! For the Lady of the house!", insisted Kishiko, with her eyes watering.

And so they obliged…with people cheering and sharing kampais.

"Oh sweet Kamis Rin congratulations!", squealed Nozomi, jumping from her seat, and running to her, hugging her tightly.

Lady Miyah smiled earnestly "Lord Sesshomaru…now you just made my day…", she stood up and bowed to them both. "My humble respects Lady Rin. I always knew you had the potential to carry the burden with the great demon that is your beloved."

"It is great to see you come out of the closet, my lord. I guess my turn will have to come soon then…", added general Yuudai. "Lady Rin, it will be an honour serving such a beautiful and brilliant Lady."

She didn't know what to say, she started to feel a little moved.

"Congratulations sweetie", said Kishiko with a brief hug. She grinned back at Rin. "With a bit of luck, our little heirs might even play together!",

"So you ARE pregnant?!", exclaimed Rin.

Kishiko nodded with a wide smile.

Then it was Rin's turn to squeal and throw herself in Kishiko's arms.

"Felicitations to you both. I sure know my cousin was looking forward to such rejoicing news", Sesshomaru replied cordially.

Tenmaru shrugged him off with one hand. "Oh of course, Rin must have told you every one of my privileged secrets during your pillow talks…"

Sesshomaru frowned. "Don't worry…We do not talk _that much_ about you…"

"But it is a sad news as well!", exclaimed Kishiko, while looking at her husband, which looked confused by her remark."…It means that our sweet Rin will never be our first paramour, as according to plan!", she continued jokingly.

Tenmaru's eyes widened for a brief moment, as if remembering it, all of a sudden. "You are right!" He dropped the back of his hand on his forehead. "I already feel the budding heartbreak…"

"Me too!", exclaimed Kishiko, while throwing herself briefly in his arms for more drama.

Rin grinned, but she could feel Sesshomaru's aura boil. He wasn't as amused as her, it seems.

"Wasn't this paramour thing just supposed to be a joke?", inquired Nozomi naively.

"Of course not", replied Tenmaru with a saddened expression. "Our offer was meant to be a consolation prize for our sweet Rin, in case our wonderful plan failed…However, it seems that we are very close to success now…"

"…What now? You will repeat that I owe you, Tenmaru?", inquired Rin jokingly.

He smiled earnestly. "Not this time. Where you are today…you've did this all on your own."

Rin felt her eyes water.

He panicked. "Oh no-no-no! No crying now! There, have a brotherly-platonic-hug!", he exclaimed, while squeezing her briefly in his arms.

Sesshomaru raised an irritated eyebrow.

Tenmaru squeezed his eyes shut while smiling cheerfully. "Though it does sadden me that you will stay out of our love family, nothing thrills me more than knowing you will become part of our bloodline…"

She patted his shoulder with a grin. "You really are a good friend Tenmaru. I think your promptings helped me become stronger…", she replied while wiping another tear.

"Oh stop it Rin! I will cry too now!", he exclaimed, now clearly upset, walking away hurriedly.

"Oh…is he…mad?", inquired Rin. "Did I say something wrong?"

Kishiko laughed. "He always had a great struggle bearing conversations when they get too serious…Don't worry…he likes you too much not to forgive you…" She looked in the direction where he had stormed off. "I should go make sure he is not too overwhelmed…"

"Please do! Tell him I am sorry!", exclaimed Rin.

Tenmaru's wife smiled smugly and nodded while walking away.

"So you permanently decline our bloodline's offer, my lord?", inquired general Kazuo, with wisps of irony.

"…I thought this was old news", Sesshomaru retorted nonchalantly.

The general smiled slightly. "My father admired you very much. He would be disappointed to hear that you have declined a union with his daughter for good and chose a human instead…"

"Hmph. I am certain my own would rejoice."

Kazuo laughed. "I do not doubt it my lord…"

He turned towards Rin and bowed. "My lady…"

"Oh please…do not be so formal with me Kazuo!"

"I insist, I must get used to it now. The last time we will see each other, you will lead a realm…"

Rin made a moved smile.

He took her hand and kissed it. That surprised her a little. "I rejoice for you both Lady Rin…silently, once I get back home, but I will rejoice all the same…"

"I think you do not belong in the right lands, general…", she whispered.

"Or maybe he does", replied Sesshomaru with a low voice.

Kazuo smiled mysteriously.

Rin did get the unspoken implications. She knew there were quite a few speculations about Kazuo…

"I must leave now. Wish me luck. I am not certain Lady Amane will take the news of her defeat very well…"

"Please be careful. I will pray for you, general…", whispered Rin.

He nodded. "I shall pray for you as well, my lady…"

…

Rin felt the heat of the sunrays on the top of her head, and the salty breeze chase away slight drops of sweat on her forehead. She frowned…it wasn't that hot, why did she sweat so much?

She shrugged. It mattered not. She leaned on the ramps of the boat and watched the quiet waves, the swollen sails a sign that the travel down the coast was going to be short. She smiled slightly, happy to see another part of the Western…realm…that she hadn't explored that much yet. She had seen Tenmaru's mansion, now she was about to see Hatsuno's…She wondered if Lady Takara –the stunning pretender of Sesshomaru– was going to be there. How she and her father were going to react, when they will learn about the upcoming wedding? Certainly Sesshomaru was going to mention it to them…

"Hey Rin!", exclaimed Nozomi cheerfully as she sat next to her. "You okay?"

Rin blinked. "Of course...Why do you ask?"

"You skin is flushed…Do you have a fever or something?"

Rin's lips became a thin line. "N-no…The sunrays are a bit hot…that is all…"

Nozomi looked at her doubtfully. "I still think you look under the weather a bit…"

"Oh you know…Sesshomaru doesn't let me sleep a lot these days…"

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Has he ever?"

Rin's eyes widened, with a budding smile on her lips. "Nozomi, is Tenmaru fading on you?!"

She blushed and smiled playfully. "Do I need to remind that one of the first time I saw you, you were awake late with our Lord…playing hide and seek!"

Rin giggled. "Kami…it feels so far away now … I can't believe we are really going to get married!" She grinned. "I can't wait until you meet my human friends! I am sure you will like Shippo!"

The kitsune smiled, but then her green eyes widened as she looked at the horizon. "That…sme…"

"What is it?", wondered Rin, looking in the same direction, but she saw nothing but blue.

"Kami…it smells…like…death!", she exclaimed.

Rin gasped. She felt the sweat on her brow get cold. She stood up and crossed her arms nervously, trying to fight off the sudden chill. "What are you talking about? We don't see the coast yet…how is it possible?"

Nozomi squinted her eyes as she inspected the horizon. "It shouldn't take long. The land is near…I have such a bad feeling…"

Rin felt hands on her waist, pulling her away from the ramp. "You should get inside…", whispered Sesshomaru, that had appeared without her noticing.

"What is it? What is going on?"

A vicious breeze brought more of the truth in their face. Rin covered her nose in an outburst of disgust…Now she smelt it too…Smoke and burned flesh…it was not pleasant at all!

And then…the lands came to their sight when a wave dropped in. There were fires all around a town stretching down the coast, yells and sounds of swordfights…but they couldn't see any trace of battles yet. However, there was one single…head on a pike…greeting them sinisterly.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he recognized whom it belonged to.

"Hatsuno…"

He had gotten beheaded.

…End of chapter…

Oh no! Cliffhanger! Argh, mean me!

Not to sadden you people…but…we are coming closer and closer to the end now…Not yet…but we are closing in…

Your reviews are candies. Please give some. I need those.

Anonymous reviews

To Jj: :) Thanks!


	26. The Cherry Blossoms Are Dry

A/N: so I watched again an episode of Inu-Yasha and heard Sesshomaru use the word magnanimous.

Magna-what?

-Replay-

Oh…ma-gna-ni-mous

…

"Generous and kind, especially toward a competitor or enemy" Thank you Cambridge dictionaries online…

And then I watched another episode where he used the word "ludicrous" and I had to go through this process all over again …So that inspired me to add a few extra fancy words this and there when his POV is involved, not that it's a relevant detail …but I had fun using a synonym dictionary. If some of you like fancy words and have a few suggestions for future chapters, go ahead, I like challenges!

Chapter 26 : The Cherry Blossoms Are Dry

Kazuo was sitting in a very uncomfortable position on the cold floor, cramped in a cell…again. He looked out of the barred window: blue sky loosing slowly turning to grey as time passed by, thick stormy clouds covering it like a thick woollen blanket. He could see many dry petals being blown by the wind, a sign that the summer was coming to an end.

He had been there for hours, treated like a traitor from the moment he had reached the Central Empire. He started to think all these schemes with Amane's directory council were a wrong idea. As soon as he had started conspiring with them, he had been treated like a prisoner wherever he went and it was still a mystery, whether or not he was going to get out alive of this…quagmire…

The creak of the door opening made him glance up.

"General, you are summoned to the throne room", announced a guard, as two hooded figures walked towards him.

They untied the chains at his feet and pulled him towards the door. He staggered, as he hadn't had the time to get rid of the numbness in his legs.

The corridors were deep. The red tapestries on the walls gave a gloomy hue to the Central Castle, but it wasn't like he had never seen those before… He got inside the infamous room, Lady Amane sitting in her grandiloquent armchair, with a few of her pawns around her.

She looked down at the general scornfully with her pale blue eyes. She crossed her legs and looked away, removing the wrinkles from her black hikizuri. It was rare she wore such a dark colour. Kazuo thought she was probably up to no good. Their father always wore black when he was about to perform his most powerful act of sorcery.

One of her lackeys cleared his throat. "General Kazuo…the announcement of our defeat in the Northwest was taken with great disappointment by our empress. We have a few inquiries about the events. May you please enlighten us?"

Kazuo nodded. He did not find surprising that Amane was too supercilious to speak to him directly. "Please go ahead Shishiri-sama, I will inform you to the best of my knowledge."

"First of all, our empress would like you to explain how is it possible that you have not noticed the Westerners' movements beforehand?"

Kazuo looked up at the hunchbacked servant. "Lord Sesshomaru split his crew in two teams. We did not see them on any of the main roads. In fact, he used two hidden paths: one close to the sea, and another one in Cirrus Hill. The path of the sea was partially blocked for safety reasons and Cirrus Hill is known to be a road prone to misfortune."

"So you never patrol these roads?"

The general shook his head. "We already did, but not at that moment. They arrived shortly after we have sent reinforcements to help you out with the attacks in the East, Shishiri-sama. We have sent as many men as possible to protect the mainlands…in good will."

"And you insist that no scouts detected the invaders?"

"Those who might have were killed by Sesshomaru's troops I am afraid..."

"You have mentioned two groups, Kazuo."

"Yes. Both of them attacked Kuno. There was nothing we could do. We were outnumbered in no time."

"How did they take the northern Kiza then? With help of the rebels?"

"And the…" Kazuo cleared his throat. "Gipsies of Kun'Ketsu, apparently…"

He heard Amane sigh with obvious exasperation. He ignored her.

"Back to your stronghold. Why haven't you tried to call reinforcements after the first group struck?"

"It wouldn't have been a very intelligent offensive strategy…hadn't they reached Kuno with good coordination. The troops led by Sesshomaru were slightly delayed by wandering snakes, but they were not late enough for us to be able to defeat the first group before their arrival. Even if we had called reinforcements, they would never have come in time."

"Who defeated you, my general? Lord Sesshomaru ?"

Kazuo repressed a smirk and looked down. "I didn't have that honour. It was the warden of the Northern borders whom I fought with."

Lady Amane hit her armrests with infuriation. "What ?! That foolish philanderer defeated you in battle!?"

Kazuo looked up at his sister and remained stoic. "He did."

She sighed and rested her chin on her fist. "…Of course, it is logical for such a depraved demon fond for mortal flesh to participate to that fight involving the dirty blooded rebels. What I cannot comprehend is why Lord Sesshomaru has taken their side. It is such an unintelligent move…", she whispered to herself pensively.

Then her face displayed high disdain, as she glanced at Kazuo again. "You were defeated by the lord's jester, Kazuo. I thought you were more skilful than that!"

The general frowned. "I am afraid the "jester" you refer to shares blood with the Lord of the Western Lands. He is tougher than he looks", he retorted more dryly than he had intended.

She scoffed and snapped her fingers. "Punish him", she ordered icily.

One of the guards next to the general took out a metal whip and slapped Kazuo hard. He staggered and fell on one knee.

"Alas, my father slept with a common wench. It is not a reason for you to display arrogance to your empress" she spat, while narrowing her eyes.

Kazuo did not reply. He knew it was pointless.

"Who else was part of the attack? You mentioned Lord Sesshomaru himself…Is that correct?", she continued nonchalantly.

"And many warriors…a few other vassals I believe…"

"Was his mortal whore attending?"

Kazuo froze and blinked a few times, before processing an answer. "His…"

She hid her eyes with the side of her hand, as if trying to fight a budding headache . "His human pet. Or whore, it is not clear to me where they stand, but I am referring to a human he keeps with him and likely use to warm his bed. Did you see a mortal woman fitting that description?"

He wanted to lie, but he knew that would be risky. "There was one human attending. A female warrior. She…signed the treaty, I believe…"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Lady Rin. So that is the human's name?"

"Yes."

Lady Amane hit her armrest again with one of her fist. "And I thought irrelevant to remember that wench's name…So you're saying he had the guts to make his human whore sign his outrageous treaty?!"

Kazuo gulped. "I think he mentioned something about wanting to respect the new half breed and mortal subjects by including a mortal's signature to their treaty…"

"So she did not sign because she has become his wife?"

Kazuo paused. "No."

He preferred to be the least specific as possible.

The blue lady crossed her arms. "… What upsets me the most is that he has taken part of our lands at the same time as we take his…Our gains are not as important as expected because of this…"

Kazuo's eyes widened. "Take…his lands?"

She looked back at him with her wide blue eyes, cold and hard as steel. "This is not of your concern. I have one last question. Just why did you soil your honour further in retreating so quickly?"

"It was obvious after Sesshomaru's troops arrival that we were going to be defeated. I saw no point to sacrifice men for honour, when I very well knew that they could be useful elsewhere. I thought it would serve the empire better to spare men and make them work where they could still be of use."

"What makes you think I have any use of losers?", she spat.

Kazuo blinked.

"What should I do of you? If you cannot even kill a court jester, maybe you should just perform the seppuku in hopes to cleanse your mediocrity", she suggested.

He did not reply right away. "I consider that I have done my duty to the best of my abilities and resources. Nevertheless, none of my effort would have been sufficient to save the Northwest. Due to the lack of resources, that situation was out of control. If you disagree and judge that I do not deserve to live, it is up to you… _Empress Amane_…to order my execution, for I do not believe I have any reason to cleanse myself."

She laughed...almost heartily. It was quite strange to look at. "You take so many liberties when you talk to me, as if you were a little prince...You are lucky Kazuo. Even though you are dirty blooded, I know our father wouldn't have wanted me to kill you, only because you are a second-rate general. Thank him in your prayers. He is the only reason you will die another day."

Two guards caught his upper arms.

"Bring him back to his quarters. I have no further use of him for now…"

…

Kazuo paced like a wild beast in his chambers until he finally received a visit of master Shishiri. Publicly Amane's right hand, but he was among the vassals that had plotted in her back in an attempt to reduce the size of the empire. The general had communicated with Kazuo on a regular basis shortly before he was given the assignment to attempt a secret conspiracy with Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Miyah and General Yuudai, to from a coalition strong enough to take back the Northwest. Master Shishiri was among the rare people in the Heartlands Kazuo actually trusted…

The young demon bowed, while keeping his eyes on the elder. He had so many questions to ask. What was this story Amane mentioned about conquering Lord Sesshomaru's lands?

The hunchback was carrying a bag. He dropped it one the general's desk. It looked heavy.

"You have been brilliant, Kazuo. Better than anyone had expected."

He frowned. "How so?"

Shishiri laughed. "My boy…you have fooled one of the smartest demon alive! You must have been quite convincing!"

The general's blue eyes widened in confusion. "What are you talking about Shishiri-sama?"

"Lady Amane has not lost the East, you can thank your prompt answer for that. The East was not our biggest problem. However, the Northwest was costly to keep. Why should we bother with wastelands full of mortals and in-betweens…when so many rumblings on the Western Coast could be used to our advantage?"

Kazuo felt his heart skip a beat. "So you knew Lady Amane intended to attack the Western coast?"

"Yes, kid, we all did, but Amane is a poor strategist, and Sesshomaru's troops would have crushed her in no time, had he not brought his attention to the Northwest at the same time as we struck…"

Strands of white hair slid in front of Kazuo's eyes. He smirked. "So it was the plan all along, is that it? Kill two birds with one stone? Get rid of the North Amane wanted to keep and take the Western Coast Sesshomaru failed to protect properly while he was away?"

Shishiri nodded.

"…Why haven't you told me?"

"You are smart Kazuo, but you have big expressive eyes that Lord Sesshomaru would have read through if you hadn't believed in your own story".

Kazuo's head was spinning…With the quantity of men Sesshomaru had left behind to the North, he will have great…great struggles to push back a blue offensive on his coast. It was also a well-known fact among the Heartlands' council that Sesshomaru's vassal Hatsuno was his weakest link. There were so many weakness of the coast that a wise enemy could exploit at the moment…

"How did you do it?"

"Sesshomaru did protect the seas properly with his fleet… but spies noticed how the lands were poorly guarded. Just one swift travel of our men through human lands, and then one detour towards the North to reach the coast by foot was a children's game, especially with the level of hostility of Sesshomaru's subjects towards humans and hanyous in that area, because of the new highway full of hanyous…"

The general shook his head. "The Lord of the Western Realm is an honourable and wise leader. I thought that the council respected him…"

Shishiri shrugged. "His fate is none of our concern anymore. Lord Sesshomaru is so full of his honour and righteousness that he refused to take Lady Amane's hand and become the powerful informal ruler he could be. I know quite a few people who would have loved to have him around, believe me …Amane, her maps, drawings of conquests and her fantasy-world would have been put in a corner in no time…" The old man sighed. "Alas, Lord Sesshomaru seems as attached to his honorifics as Lady Amane and is not interested by all the potential of pulling the strings in the shadow. If the Lord of the Western Lands prefer to frolics with humans and half-breeds in broad daylight instead, then so be it. He can do whatever he wants with the little time he has left…"

Kazuo did not answer. He felt nauseous.

The old man cleared his throat. "You shall be rewarded accordingly, Kazuo. Buy yourself a new armour with the coins, and wait for the promotion. We will make sure Amane sees the potential in you, even with your hair cut…" The old man smiled as he noticed the dejected expressions on the boy's face. "Be wiser than this Lord of Sesshomaru. Honour is the dead man's virtue. For each step up, at least a bit of blood must be shed. That is the way of the world…You should think about it…Who knows where climbing these latters will bring you someday…"

"More than a bit of blood will be shed this time…"

"Exactly. And for this, you may climb many…many steps. Just wait and see. In the meantime, you shouldn't worry about foreign leaders and their dirty blooded subjects. This is not what we fight for."

With that, the old demon bowed and excused himself, because of a meeting that was about the start soon.

Kazuo looked at the closed door for a long moment before daring a few steps towards his desk. He stared at the bag full of coin …shining metal pieces waiting to be spent. He took the bag and weighted it, trying to evaluate just how much there was in there…

He thought of Lord Sesshomaru's suspecting glances during the dinner, back to the Western Lands. He had suspected him another time briefly after the incident with the snakes too… but the Lord of the Western Realm had let himself be distracted by his insinuations about Tenmaru…

Kazuo sighed, as he remembered Lady Rin's trusting…beautiful eyes, when they talked under the moonlight. Oh how naïve she had been. How naïve he had been too. The present Lord and Lady of the Western Lands had sensed the risk quite a few times, but Kazuo had successfully fooled Rin, and Rin had misled Sesshomaru thereafter…

He felt his jaw tighten. He could hear Sesshomaru's words still echoing through his mind.

"_What is a guarantee's worth, if it's spoken with a forked tongue?"_

"_General…do not take this personally, but we have a long history of your bloodline fooling around with us…"_

"My lord…you were right", Kazuo thought out loud.

_A forked tongue…_

His features contorted in rage as he threw the bag on the wall, sounds of coins clashing and falling on the ground reminding him of a promise broken in a thousand pieces.

He let himself fall on the ground, while he rested his forehead on his knees.

He could feel his eyes water. He was a little boy, just a little boy…with dirty blood. He was not built for this cruel world…

He had been fooled…and brought Lady Rin and Lord Sesshomaru to their downfall.

Kazuo swore never to forgive himself.

…

The Lady Mother was standing under the shade of sakura trees, all withered because of the late summer season. Her hair was untied and she wore a peculiar…dark violet tint. A shiver crept up her spine as she watched the sunset through the drying flowers, but she dared not let it show. She smelled the fox vassal walking towards her. She didn't like his pace.

She knew that something had happened. She could feel it in her bones.

"My Lady…", Kireru bowed, with a deep frown. "I fear the news are grave…"

_Did something happen to my son?_

She held her meido stone instinctively. "Speak."

"The Western coast is under attack. Messengers have reported hundreds of blue guards. They came from the South –human lands– and it seems no one has deemed necessary to inform us of their arrival…"

"Our informers must have been paid by the blue empress, I assume", Sasori commented nonchalantly. "Has my son reached the coast yet?", she inquired with disquieting iciness.

Kireru frowned worriedly. "We do not know, my lady."

She squashed dry flowers in her hands, looking suddenly annoyed. "It would be a real bother if something happened to him or his human mate at this stage…"

The fox didn't answer, but Sasori could feel his contempt. This tender-hearted creature probably expected her to weep in worry or something of the sort…She was not like that. Tears are for the weak. She is not weak.

"We must send men. Five hundred of them. You shall lead the army and make sure my son and his mate are safe."

"Shouldn't we…try to push away the blue army?"

"No. My son first. Assuming he hasn't heard of this invasion before us, it is very likely he will not be prepared and will not have enough men with him to repel Amane's minions on his own. Retrieve him first, and then obey his command."

Kireru bowed. "At once, my lady."

And for once, she looked at him leave with the impression the fox was satisfied with the order he had just received.

Sasori sighed and glanced at her meido stone, searching intently for faces she hoped she wouldn't find.

…

The smell of smoke and burned flesh was appalling, as were the shrieks of terrified female peasants and cries of their young children.

He could feel his own heartbeat accelerate as he tried to comprehend the scene before his very own eyes.

The worst had happened. One of Sesshomaru's worst dreads had become reality…

An uprising…in his own lands. There was no mistaking…Amane's troops would never have succeeded penetrating his own lands, without any allies inside the Western Realm. She had obviously found supporters among those human haters, complaining about the highway. Those that the baron Hatsuno had refused to manage and compensate for the trouble.

Sesshomaru had felt the danger way too late… Only when Hatsuno had refused to deploy troops to the North, had he guessed that the situation on the coast might have been worst than what Hatsuno had implied during the meetings. Sesshomaru felt ridiculous. He should have seen it coming before. He had been warned. Jaken and brought him multiple reports. His mother had also hinted that it might be a good idea to monitor the coast, instead of seeking allies with the "gipsies"…

He could feel his claws pierce his own flesh as his hands balled into fists, while his amber eyes watched quietly the troubling scene. His own warriors had gathered all around them now…panicked…He could hear Rin and his fox vassal talk with a higher pitch than usual. Sesshomaru saw his cousin get out of the cabins …becoming so pale at the sight he must have outpaced Sesshomaru's whiteness at some point. He voiced loud curses, and mumbled complaints about him not supposed to be there in the first place. Of course, Tenmaru hadn't expected that Sesshomaru would seek his assistance on their way to the Western Coast. He knew his vassal had only accepted half-heartedly, and because his wife Kishiko and Rin were both watching him with great expectations.

Even though it was very tempting, the Lord of the Western Lands was not in the mood for judgements. He might not let it show, but the situation highly displeased him as well. Uprisings were never a pleasant situation to deal with.

The macabre scents coming from the lands told him there were not advantaged in numbers at all. The odds of successfully subduing the rebels with his little crew was…very uncertain, to say the least. Not only that, but the vassals aiding him at the moment were far from the most experienced, and Rin was there as well. An uprising involving blue armies and angry west coasters was not good at all for his human betrothed.

Sesshomaru was concerned. Apprehensive of the outcome. Worried of what such revolt could mean for the Western Lands' future… He knew that Rin was loved, even in the most secluded areas of his realm. He had thought until recently that any crisis involving the highway would settle down eventually, but he had mixed the cards. Rin's popularity and common hatred of hanyous were very different things. His people could tolerate and even love one mortal character. After all, Rin was nothing to them, but a distant iconic character, always smiling and finely dressed when they travelled together, playing with the demon children and blending in marvellously. She didn't even look human with the way they dressed and groomed her. However, it seemed that this highway was much harder to bear for his people. These folks saw the hanyou merchants on a daily basis stepping on their lands…possibly taunting them. Of course they could get angry. It was only logical. Sesshomaru huffed. How much of a fool he had been not to see this coming!

"My lord!", croaked Jaken.

Sesshomaru glanced back at him, the sight of many worried people staring at him an evident proof that they had tried to get his attention for a while.

"My lord…what should we do?", inquired the lackey.

The Lord of the Western Realm stared back at the fighting scene, a few enemies spotting them already.

His own hesitation troubled him deeply.

"Sesshomaru, we have to do something!", exclaimed Rin hurriedly, her hands suddenly grasping his upper arm firmly.

"No way! You can't be serious!", exclaimed Tenmaru, appearing at the other side of Sesshomaru. "We can't go there!",

Rin's hazel eyes widened with a mix of surprise and indignation. His demon companion was somewhat amused that she had the courtesy of displaying surprise at Tenmaru's cowardice. Sesshomaru could feel her grasp on his upper arm tense at his cousin's lack of enthusiasm.

"What would you do, then?", she asked him back, with reserve.

Tenmaru crossed his arms and looked away from the chaos, leaning his back against the ramp. "Let's stay on the sea! We have the fleet to protect us. We sail towards human lands and we get back to the mainlands before striking the coast…"

"This is ridiculous!", exploded Rin, startling a few people around her. "Hundreds of villagers will die!"

Tenmaru huffed. "What do you prefer? Sacrifice them or…sacrifice them and us?"

"How can you be so heartless!", she retorted.

"And how the hell can you be so reckless!", he spat back. "It must be your lack of nose! It was way too anarchic in there for us to do anything!"

"We will go", settled Sesshomaru dryly. "Let's sail towards the forest and land there. Their struggles through the vegetation will leave us enough time to march towards the castle town."

"Are you out of your mind?! You can smell it too, we're outnumbered!", protested Tenmaru, with vivid gesticulations.

Sesshomaru only answered with an irritated glance.

Tenmaru shook his head. "We might die!", he added with dismay.

"Not if we act carefully."

"What the hell are we supposed to do in there anyway?!"

"Investigate. Certainly not all the Westerners are siding with the Heartlands. It is likely we will find allies in nearby villages."

"Or not!"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "I will not back away from my people out of fright or behave magnanimously to a horde of defectors. Those who want to fight me shall taste my wrath", he thundered.

"Nothing less to be expected from Lord Sesshomaru!", commented Jaken…though his master did sense slight lack of conviction in that cheer.

"Way to go, my lord!", exclaimed Nozomi, more convincing.

Rin smiled with satisfaction, while Tenmaru just cursed and stormed off. Sesshomaru followed him discreetly with his eyes, unconsciously thinking of general Kazuo's last piece of advice in regard to his relative…However, should that one even be trusted? Kazuo might have been part of this scheme. Had Sesshomaru been right to let him go without further interrogations?

He chased away that suspicion instantly. Something told the lord that Kazuo had been fooled as well…or else, why would he have bonded with Rin as he did? Surely knowing the Heartlands was about to fuel a revolt among the Westerners, this general would not have sought the friendship and admired not-so-secretly his human mate. No…Kazuo was not a player. Sesshomaru was sure of it. He was a naïve and idealistic boy, probably just a pawn in a bigger play. A very fool and very intelligent pawn all at once…

"Shall we head towards the woods' pier, my lord?", inquired a sailor.

"Yes. Let's not waste anymore time…"

Rin watched the hanyou sailor run hurriedly towards the rest of the crew.

"Sesshomaru…", she whispered.

"Do not trouble yourself", he replied instantly, sensing her concern. "We will make it through, we only need to be careful."

She crossed her arms and looked at her feet. "I am sure we will. But we have no way to know if we'll find enough villagers to help us out…", she relied matter-of-factly.

He blinked. He knew that, he had no way to know if they will succeed getting rid of the havoc in his lands right now, but such blunt realism was not the best way to soothe any worry she might have…

And he was not a coward. They may be fewer, but they were much better equipped than all these peasants and blue soldiers…already tired of the detour they had take to reach the West…

Sesshomaru decided to avoid Rin's gaze… getting a tad too piercing at the moment and looked back at the pier getting closer. "Rin, I need you to be focused. There will be times during which my level of protection might not be as good as it would normally be."

She smiled with reassurance. "I can take care of myself now, with Shinsei. Don't worry pointlessly about me, _my lord_…"

He tried not to grind his teeth at the formality; he knew she was just jesting, as she often did when he got too authoritative. "I know you can, but I am afraid my concerns about your safety is not something I can get rid of effortlessly."

Her smile widened. "Little by little, you will succeed!", she replied with a wink.

For a moment, he indulged himself and admired her cheerful features. How she could keep smiling even in the worst situations, he had never understood. It was one of the things that he had always loved about her. How she at times, was so strong…tougher than him, in fact. It took courage to smile as such, and exhibit vulnerability, as if oblivious to all the potential abuse such candidness could bring. He felt compelled to protect her because of it, but most often than not as of late, he wondered if she truly required it.

"We're almost there now", observed Nozomi.

Rin unsheathed Shinsei and took a deep breath. His little wilding of a future wife.

He took out Bakusaiga and braced himself.

…

Tiny droplets of water trickled down a few flowerless cherry trees and pines, as they ran into the thick vegetation, towards the Western coast's castle town. Not only was it dangerous, but it was also useless to inspect the head of his dead vassal's from up close, or the hateful slogans on high walls, in what seemed to be blood, saying "Death to all mortals and half breeds" and other nonsense. Those living in castle towns always were the most fateful to their suzerains. If there was one place to investigate first, it had to be this town.

However, what Sesshomaru smelled as they approached left little place to serious hopes. The stench of rotting corpses up ahead irritated his nose. He felt terrible seeing his mate so optimistic, trying to cheer up Tenmaru and Nozomi. Both knew as well what was lying ahead, but none had the courage to speak.

Sesshomaru finally shrugged away his own pusillanimity and asked Rin to manage her expectations about possible survivors. She didn't request further explanations to understand that her hopes were futile and spoke no more for a while.

It was ironic to see droplets of the rain trickling down incessantly from the trees. How could the fires of the rebels be so wild in such dampness? It was as if even the weather had been bewitched somehow.

Sesshomaru had a terrible feeling. The same feeling he had when he found his own father on the seashore (not very far from here…now that he thought of it), full of blood of his fight with Ryukotsusei. He had not even seen him yet and still, Sesshomaru had known only the worst could be expected. He felt the same now, pit of heavy unease in his stomach, making his jaw and neck tense, as if every risks he had ignored in the past, thinking his own empire had grown insuperable, were getting back to him, all in strength, ready to crush all of his plans and ambitions.

Fear again. He definitely felt like a coward today. Since he had started to rebuild his father's empire, it was the first time he was seeing cracks in what he had achieved…it made him feel bitter and worried. His own aspirations had never been so clear in his mind…He wanted this future with Rin, them together leading the Western Realm. He wanted her child and he wanted pursue his late father's ambitions that had gradually become his own with time. It was the least he could do to repay Inu Taisho. Sesshomaru had been a weakness, an hassle, for his late father. He needed to show him that he might have erred in the past, but now he understood every one of his lord father's advices.

He shook his head and kept running. Certainly his attitude was motivated by his fear that he had something to lose. Yes that must be it. Only now that he had found his ultimate purpose could he truly feel dread at the prospect of defeat. It was the price of deep contentment. The incessant fear of losing it.

They ran some more and finally reached the castle town, his own rationalisation crumbling as soon as he saw all the buildings and ruins, and dead corpses lying around, not only men but also children and young women…that had obviously been raped before they had been sent to the underworld.

He noticed Rin's gaze becoming glassy, and her face whitening, before she squeezed her eyes shut, her lips closing in a tight line as she looked away, preventing any other public display of anguish or disgust…

He had expected her to voice some sort of revolt, but she didn't say anything, as if knowing whatever she could say couldn't do any good. They were dead. Bodies lifeless for way too long for him to be able to do anything miraculous. They could only watch and try to breathe the least as possible, in hopes to forget about the putrid scent and saddening sight as soon as possible.

Sesshomaru looked back briefly at the dead corpses and swore to make the culprits responsible of such atrocities meet a painful death.

…

A female villager pointed an accusing finger at the hooded figure. "There she is! Get her!"

The fugitive tried to get away from the threatening crowd, but her run was clumsy. She was not used to these cloaks or being chased... Without much struggles, the blue guards caught her and held her arms tightly. She didn't try to fight them back. She squeezed her eyes shut as they tore her hood apart, and threw her on the ground.

"No no…Please let me go! I have nothing to do with this!"

One of the guards unsheathed his swords and brushed the blade with his index finger. "You are of the wrong blood. No heir can live."

Her purple eyes widened and she started to breathe erratically. "Pleaaase! I do not want to die for this inheritance! Marry me to a demon of lower blood I don't care!"

One of the warriors pulled at her long hair and shushed her with a calloused finger. She tried not to react at his horrendous breath and rotten teeth, while he approached his face, now only at an inch from hers.

"You're a pretty thing little lady…if we didn't have such strict codes, we wouldn't have minded _wifing_ you…"

At that a couple of the soldiers chuckled. She tried hard not too weep, but her eyes were filling up with tears…

"We are told not to touch you, only kill you. So make your prayers and beg mercy to the gods. With a bit of luck, they might send you up the moon rather than in the underworld…"

"NOOOOOOOO!"

An arrow flew briskly next to them, landing in the trunk of a tree.

"What's this?!", inquired one of the guards with irritation.

"Auras…I can sense many auras!", added another one.

The next arrow pieced one of them, making their demon horses panic, and villagers scream in fear, running away for their lives.

"What's this? Loyalists?", wondered their leader, while taking out his shield from his back, readying for battle.

The captive woman let out a squeak as a squall of arrows flew past them, a few warriors getting out of the woods, roaring fiercely. They were not dressed in blue. Instead, they wore the typical dark red armours of the mainland's warriors: Lord Sesshomaru's personal army.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw more of them get out of the woods with swords. They were tall and sturdy looking, fighting off the blue warriors without breaking a sweat. Could it be that her time had not come yet?

The one holding her hair let her go. She fell on the ground.

"Gods! These…men?! Where the hell do they come from!?", he thought out loud.

The female captive thought that he did not look so scary after all.

The pathway started to tremble. She quivered, in synch with the earthquake. Dark aura thickened the air. She herself was not a skilled warrior, but she knew powerful…very powerful fighters were among this new crowd…

She stopped breathing, as she recognized the source of smothering aura. Lord Sesshomaru, standing there with his personal guards, raising his sword, seeding green flames and destruction on the lands, killing many fighters in one blow. She stared in awe. It was one thing to see him sit on his throne, looking stoic as his usual fashion, but it was completely another one to see him in his element…the battlefield. He was fierce-looking, scary, yet so beautiful. An angel-demon, striking every foe with justice and doom. She was mesmerized, not even noticing the blue guards leaving her to her own fate, and some folks of the Lord of the West's armies running towards her.

"My lady, are you okay?", asked one clear voice.

The woman looked to her left and noticed another female, carrying a sword and wearing a plain yukuta, and a red armour. She looked so…familiar.

Amethyst eyes widened. "You! You are lady Rin, is that correct?", she inquired with bewilderment.

Her saviour blinked. "Do we know each other?"

"Of course you know her!", exclaimed the vixen next to her. "This is Lady Takara!"

Rin was almost startled by the revelation, and looked at the newly freed captive, a young woman with unruly hair. The black make up of the eyes had stained her cheeks as if she had cried a lot. Her lips were dry and bloody from being bitten too often, yet the purple eyes and freckles left no questioning.

"Lady Takara…", stated Rin, gravely, then she smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. We are here now. You are safe!"

The young demoness smiled with relief. "Saved by Lord Sesshomaru's troops and rescued personally by his ward, such a lucky lady I am!"

Rin laughed, amused at being called…_ward_…Takara knew she was his mate, why would she call her ward!?

All of them startled, as two blue guards ran towards them. Rin and Nozomi stood up, ready to fight, but the foes were defeated in the blink of an eye by a deadly yellowish blow.

"HA! Feel the pain, blue fools!", exclaimed Tenmaru pompously.

"Now you sound like Jaken", retorted Rin, slightly annoyed as she sheathed her sword.

He tsk-tsked her and bowed low. "I think I just smelled Lady Takara's lovely fragrance just there, am I correct?"

Both girls sighed in exasperation, as the third one stood up.

"You are master Tenmaru!", Takara exclaimed.

"In flesh and bones!"

"You have just saved us! Kami you are almost as grand as Lord Sesshomaru in battle!"

He huffed haughtily. "Of course. Don't you know? It is said my bravery parallels my handsomeness!"

"Oh Tenmaru, stop inflating your ego or else you are going to blow up!", exclaimed Rin.

Soon enough, the last remnants of the fight were over, and Sesshomaru caught up with them, with his usual nonchalant walking while he sheathed his sword. However, he did imperceptibly tense as he recognized the rescued lady. She bowed low, her forehead on her knees.

"Lady Takara, so you survived", he observed with his usual stoicism.

"My lord…I am truly blessed. I thought I was done for. I will forever be grateful", whispered Takara.

"We need to get going", he replied curtly.

"Do we have other reasons to be worried?", inquired Rin with a frown, catching up with him as they resumed their walk.

"Yes", was his only answer.

Rin looked at Takara strangely, as this one clung to Sesshomaru's forearm. "With your blessed protection, I am sure that…"

He raised an irritated eyebrow, not even glancing back at her. "I cannot be your personal shield in such a precarious situation, my lady. You will have to count on my men for the best assistance…"

"Please honour me with the task", offered Tenmaru, sounding all chivalrous while offering his hand to the lady and bringing her away from the couple.

The woman didn't complain, though Sesshomaru did sense a sudden wave of irritation around them. He glanced at Rin and saw that she looked slightly annoyed by the whole situation.

Sesshomaru was not a fool and he had understood long ago that Rin was not the libertine type. Even though she had befriended his cousin, she had difficulties to cope with his odd customs at times. Not that Sesshomaru minded…They were on the same page for this matter.

The lecherous culprit caught up with them, giving one discreet sideways glance at Sesshomaru's precious mate.

"Sweet Rin…I sense a little tension here…", he observed with a signing voice.

She ignored him with a slight pout.

"Oh sheesh! Your cold shoulder upsets me so!", he commented with slight drama.

Rin crossed her arms. "Tenmaru, why don't you go protect Lady Takara?", she inquired innocently…but she had not fooled anyone.

Tenmaru glanced at her with a flirty smile and invaded her personal space. "Oh is that the perfume of jealousy I sense here?", he murmured playfully.

Sesshomaru felt his jaw tighten. How dare he does these kind of gesture in front of him?! Sesshomaru preferred not to think about what his lecherous cousin would try to do while he wasn't around…

Enough. He darted the fool with one well-defined glare, that made him shrink (as usual) and get away from his mate as quick as he had come (what a spineless wimp…). Rin was completely oblivious to their unspoken quarrels.

Rin sighed, apparently unaware to his lecherous mannerism. "I thought that you had stopped this…flirting around…"

"Only until Kishiko gets pregnant."

She scowled at him. "And now that she is, she has reverted back to being the least of your worries?!"

His dark blue eyes widened in surprise. "Gods Rin what's the problem here?"

"A pregnant woman can be fragile. She needs her man to take care of her. Not…flirting around with the first damsel in distress passing by!"

"Kishiko can take care of herself, she always did", Tenmaru replied, looking confused.

Rin's hand balled into fists. "Are you hearing yourself right now? How can you be so thoughtless?!"

He frowned with irriration. "Rin what the hell is the matter with you? You are as judgemental as Lady Sasori right now!"

"Lord Seshomaru…would you know by chance where my father is?", inquired suddenly Lady Takara, out of the blue.

He heard Rin gasps and his relative clear his throat with uneasiness. Yes, he had momentarily forgotten about that…

"Ahem…my lady…", started Jaken… "We are afraid to announce you that something terrible happened to your father…", continued the toad, sounding regretful.

Lady Takara tensed, her eyes already watering. "Please…don't tell me that he is…"

"Alas my lady. My lord would like to share his most sincere condolences", announced Jaken.

And then Sesshomaru smelt tears and he forgot for a moment that he wanted to hit Jaken for speaking in his stead again.

"I am so sorry Lady Takara. If there is anything we can do…", whispered Rin, full of sympathy. "I know how hard that can be…"

The Lady Takara only wept more.

"Dearest sympathies, my lady", commented Tenmaru as he stretched to hold her in his arms.

"The baron Hatsuno shall be remembered for his great wisdom and diligence to the Western Lands…", started Sesshomaru, compelled to say something of his own. "Proper funerals shall be held as soon as possible. In the meantime, rest assured that we will do our best to insure your protection, especially considering the state of the coast at the moment."

"My lord!", exclaimed worriedly one of the warriors.

The man didn't need to voice any more details for Sesshomaru to understand. The lord unsheathed his sword with a frown. "We shall pursue this discussion later. Let's go."

All nodded and moved forward, with Rin holding her arms subconsciously. He hated that he couldn't inform her that many foes were close…he didn't want to give out that they had been spotted. They walked swiftly for a while, through the forest, the walk not being so pleasant, considering the pathway was half covered with vegetation all around them, while the culprits still lurked around like a bunch of fools. Once Sesshomaru judged the other troops far enough, he simply nodded at his guards, four of them plunging in the thick vegetation, catching the little spies in no time.

"At last, these little minions started to stink!", exclaimed Tenmaru impatiently.

"Wait…for how long have they been following us?", inquired Rin with bewilderment.

"At least an hour now", replied Nozomi, while stretching herself.

Rin didn't comment, but it was one of these times she thought so loudly that Sesshomaru heard it all. She hated that she had not been aware of it.

Sesshomaru didn't like when she brooded thoughts such as those, because if there was one thing a human couldn't be, it was a demon. Even with the most efficient charms, their bodies were unable to sustain it, and she was no exception. He had pondered about all of these things already, even though he truly didn't want to…

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice…

One of his men yelled. "FIIIIRE FIIIIREEE ON MY CLOTHES!"

Rin's eyes widened "What is the meaning of…"

Sesshomaru caught her in his arms and dove on the ground, as a huge fireball flew over them threateningly, crashing against a tree trunk and setting the nearby oaks afire. Thunder roared over them ominously. Amber eyes were glued on the flames. Then he sensed an army nearby. How could it be that he hadn't detected them before? Had they used some sort of trick to suppress their smell?

"Tenmaru. Bring the archers and kill these mages", ordered Sesshomaru.

"Wait, what?"

"If you have heard my order correctly, I suggest you move forward…"

"Why don't you send the general over there?!"

Sesshomaru ground his teeth. Obey one order without a fuss was too much asked of him, it seemed.

"Tenmaru! You don't even have to kill them yourself! Just order the men", whispered Rin in her usual loud fashion.

…Even Rin, with her rudimentary knowledge of the battlefield knew his presence among the warriors was mostly (just) about appearances…

Tenmaru's expression betrayed dread. Pathetic…

Rin frowned. "What's the matter with you? You already lead armies…You even defeated general Kazuo!"

"I can pretend, by I am not an actual warrior."

"But…"

He shook his head impatiently "Rin will you just stop trying to make a point with a fight that wasn't even a real one!", he voiced so low no one could hear him, but she could read of his lips, and based on her expression, Sesshomaru knew she had understood.

Rin displayed a pout of infuriation. "You know I actually believed it when I said to your wife that you are brave!"

Tenmaru didn't answer.

"You are fine with everyone thinking you are coward? Don't you have more pride than that?!"

Nozomi shook her head. "Rin just drop it…"

"Let him answer!"

Sesshomaru did notice the vixen glance back at him, begging silently for an intervention. He knew such squabbling was preventing them to move forward, but he couldn't bring himself to give up to his relative's silly caprice. Wasn't that fool going to make a man of himself?

Rin's hands balled into fists. "Tenmaru! Don't be a coward!"

His jaw tensed in irritation. "Don't you get it?! I am not the one who lust over snake blood! Leave me alone!"

Then it was too much for him. Sesshomaru was now the one breaking his personal space, with lethal iciness, that is. He caught Tenmaru by the collar. "I do not give promotions and honour to fake warriors, so you better prove yourself for real, or you shall keep your phony honorifics for the rest of your life. Is that understood?"

Tenmaru looked at his suzerain with the highest level of aggravation and finally nodded slowly, at that Sesshomaru let him go roughly.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes threateningly. "If you ever challenge Rin or me again…You…will die."

His cousin left without further ado towards the mages, while mumbling one discreet "and I wasn't even supposed to be there…"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed again. He started to think that listening to general Kazuo's advice might not have been the wisest idea. More thunder roared, and soon enough, a new wave of blue fighters were on them again, raising their swords and casting their damn spells.

"Rin, stay on the ground", he whispered.

"But…"

"Remember what I told you before we left. You must understand."

_You are the most precious now…I must protect you with my life, for it is only a matter of time before you…_

Rin gasped as demon birds dove towards them, opening their powerful talons. Sesshomaru held firmly his swordhilt, while he voiced the deadly prayer.

"Dragon strike!"

Ghostly shadows of the mythical creatures flew over him as blue lights raced towards the birds, burning their feather and tearing the flesh as soon as the blow struck them. Sesshomaru was aware that more of them were coming, but he could not move. The hunting reflexes were hard to control, but he knew that no one could watch over Rin right now. And there was also this noblewoman…Lady Takara, nearby. As much as he hated to admit it, it was not his place to take the frontlines this time…

He tried not to wince at the piercing shrieks of the mages being taken down, meaning that Tenmaru –or at least the archers– had obliged to their duty. And soon enough, he was back, tormenting them again with his poisonous honeyed tongue…

He smirked at the (only) lady in distress. "Lady Takara, I am back at your service", he whispered, while kissing her hand.

"Oh, you are so chivalrous, master Tenmaru!", she exclaimed with a pale smile.

At that Sesshomaru and Rin exchanged a glance. She did look annoyed again. Rin was annoyed a lot with Tenmaru since the beginning of the day. Did she finally realize how shallow he could be, even during the worst moments? If he were capable of it, Sesshomaru might have had wept for joy.

One violent blow of the wind pushed dried petals on them, as if Mother Nature wanted to remind them of the ephemeral state of every living beings… It was barely passed noon, but the sky darkened until it seemed to be the darkest pit of night. The wind switched from warm to chilling, the cold so biting it tore leaves and dried petals of the trees, as if sudden autumn had fallen upon them. The air was barely breathable. And there was also this…

Scent.

It was cold, but Sesshomaru felt his blood boil.

Rin started to cough. "Kami…this aura! Sesshomaru stop it!"

His hand tensed on Bakusaiga's handle. "…It isn't mine."

"H-how…is that possible?", she whispered softly.

"Stay hidden. The threat is significant", he warned, as he noticed that he couldn't sense his men anymore, except for Rin and his vassals. Now that was a problem. Where were all the others?

Tenmaru glanced at the surroundings with widened eyes. "Holy shi…"

"Instead hiding behind the women, you should get prepared", cut off the lord dryly to his cousin, with a threatening glance.

"Gods Sesshomaru!", Tenmaru protested with an infuriated whisper. "…you smell it too right…you know whose that scent belongs to?"

Of course he knew. How could he ever forget that _stench_?

For the first time since they had landed, Sesshomaru started to seriously doubt it had been a good idea to show up in this forsaken place.

The heaviness grew even more on them, pushing on their shoulders as if the malevolence wanted to bury them alive. Even Sesshomaru started to struggle with his breathing. He was worried for Rin, this threat had to stop at once. He took a deep breath, fighting off the reflex to let himself smother. He was not one to be intimidated by a foe's foul aura. His jaw tensed and he took a few steps forward. He wanted to be the target. Not Rin. Whatever wicked presence emitted this foul feel had to get out of its hiding spot, so he could get rid of it.

Rin coughed. "…Sess…Sessho…"

His jaw tensed as he looked back at her. He could feel his insides twist in concern. She couldn't breathe! There was nothing to shield her from the wicked grasp of this damned malicious presence. Unless…

"…Rin…"

She looked up and saw him held out Tenseiga's scabbard.

"I am not certain how efficient that will be, but it is the only thing I can do. Hold it tight against you. It might keep the foul aura at bay."

She nodded and smiled weakly. "Thank you"

"Nozomi. Get back with Rin. The further you can go without endangering yourselves, the better it will be. Jaken, Tenmaru, go with them."

Sesshomaru moved a few steps forward again, and looked around him, in search of the foe, but it was no where to be seen. Thunder cracked over their heads and rain started to fall. The feeling of helplessness was highly unpleasant, but he tried not to think about it.

Then he spotted _her_. At last. The wicked force. The ghostly shadow of a sorceress in front of him. He marched forward, ready to face the banshee.

In the blink of an eye, the shadow disappeared. Sesshomaru stopped walking and frowned. It was embarrassing… The aura was so overwhelming there was no way for him to locate the enemy. He was also unable to trace it with his sense of smell, the pouring rain killing any scent that might have lingered in the air.

"Sesshomaru! To your right!", he heard Rin yell.

He gasped as he saw the shadow on his side. He raised his sword and ran in its direction, but again it disappeared without a noise. He felt a chill running through his spine. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the figure behind him, but as he turned to run towards it, he saw other shadows: in front of him, to the right…to the left, everywhere…surrounding him, spinning slowly around him in a dizzying dance. All the witches opened their eyes in unison. Wide fiery blue holes piercing through his soul, looking at his skull. He shivered, as the trickle of a memory crept back to consciousness. Soon enough he was falling…drowning…

Freezing hands brushed against his chest. Thin lips, reminding in a whisper…

"…_You didn't want to rule…you just wanted to fight…"_

His soul was brought back, ages ago, when he was just a boy, oblivious to his own recklessness and absence of goals in life. When he found motivation in bloodlust...on the battlefield…when he was the perfect killer and nothing else.

_True. I didn't wanted this life…the ruler's life…_

He could see it again. Her wide sparkling eyes and silky blue garbs, shining under the moonlight…fabric that she let him touch and slide off her shoulders. He could see it again. The pale skin and nubile body.

"_You wanted me in your bed. This is what you wanted…"_

It was the first woman he had ever seen. She had fired up these urges he had known nothing about before. Her long white curls had felt perfect sliding through his fingers like cool water, and warm lips against his.

"_Our child…our…empire…", _she whispered, roaming around him, to his ear or while brushing against his lips. He wasn't sure. She was nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

"_This is what you wanted…"_

"SESSHOMARU LOOK OUT!"

That voice?

Rin's voice…

Rin.

Amber eyes opened, to meet a pair of sickly, white-blue eyes. Horror struck him hard, contorting his features. He raised his sword and unleashed one destructive blow in an attempt to push her away.

The ghastly spectre screamed in rage, his attack going through her as if she were just harmless mist.

He ran towards the threat, his hand on Tenseiga. If it was only her soul, he could kill it too. He could send her to the underworld. He had to get her. Kill her.

Kill Amane.

He knew it was her.

"_Sesshomaru"_

Her voice was deformed and weak, but he could recognize it. He tried to slice the wicked spirit, but it vanished and reappeared behind him.

"_How could you?!"_

Rage blinded him momentarily at the reproach.

"Ask that to yourself!", he spat back spitefully.

She had started the fight, whispering fantasies while she let him touch, manipulating him when he still had the mind of a child, but she had not conquered him. She never did. She never will. She was in no right to reproach him anything. Everything was her fault.

The thunder boomed like a gong of doom just over his head, but he didn't even notice. His eyes were on her. She struck one freezing blow in his direction. He didn't even bother to dodge. With one simple swing of his Bakusaiga, green rays of his powerful aura turned her blow into harmless smoke.

"I am forgiving and merciful", she replied with her misty voice, her words almost sounding like a prayer. "You have one last chance to abide by…"

"What? Your rules?", he inquired nonchalantly as he sheathed Bakusaiga, bringing back his attention to the sword of healing.

"This is what you wanted."

He scoffed and raised a daring eyebrow. "Do you seriously think I could ever long for submission?"

"You wanted me."

"Your flesh. Not your reign."

She laughed dryly. "Don't be a fool. Everything has a price."

He smirked slightly. That almost looked like a smile. "Correct. Now…I'll let you guess. What is the price to your insolence, Amane?", he inquired casually.

She did not answer and he was not going to wait any further. He jumped, charged at her with all his demonic speed. He was so swift she must only have seen a ray of light…It took him only a second to slice her ghostly arm. Her scream was the worst thing he had ever heard. It was as if she was ripping his ears off…

She had the time to get away before he could slice more.

He landed slowly on the ground, while she landed shortly after him, at a far away distance…her blue dots of eyes now a deep crimson, her face contorted with rage looking old and ghastly. And so this was her true form? Nothing like the elven traits she usually displayed…

"So you have chosen defeat…", her otherworldly voice stated.

He gasped. The voice seemed to be next to his ear, but she was so far away. He saw black ghostly birds charge at him, but he lazily chased them away with his dragon strike, blue flow of energy burning every foe in sight, aside of the black shadow ahead of him.

"Humiliation", she whispered.

Another blow, he flew over it. He was over himself. How dare she taunt him when she was the one who got injured? He could feel his eyes reddening. It was time. His turn. She needed to see whom she had defied. He let the rage take over as the burning sensation spread through his limbs… stretching until he had taken his beastly state. He flew at lethal speed and tried to snap her.

She didn't even dodge. He had her, between his teeth, he had been quick enough. It had been so easy…

Alas… he felt only ashes in his mouth.

"Weakness."

Lightning struck Sesshomaru. The beast roared. The pain was hot, blinding, unbelievable. Like nothing he had experienced before.

"SESSHOMARU!", screamed Rin.

His eyes closed against his will and his body went limp. His limbs retracted and he fell, fell fell…until his body met the muddy soil.

Unable to control herself, Rin screamed some more as she watched his unmoving form on the ground. She tried to leave her hiding spot and run towards him, but a pair of firm arms kept her from moving.

"TENMARU LET ME GO!", she shrieked.

"You can't! You'll get killed!"

Sesshomaru heard the sound of a loud slap, but it was the least of his worry. The pain… He felt miserable, as if his entire body has shred into pieces. How could he let himself be stricken as such?! He succeeded opening his eyes, but it was the only thing he could do. He couldn't move. He could see the blurry form of Rin all over him. She had Shinsei unsheathed. Wrong! The danger was still there. She needed to go…He tried to open his mouth to tell her to go away, but he couldn't speak. He could hear the sickening laughter and couldn't do a thing. He heard yells, many yells…

"NOOOO DON'T DO THIS! GET AWAY!", screamed Rin with a trembling voice.

Sesshomaru turned his head just in time to see…

Amber eyes widened. He simply couldn't believe it.

…Tenmaru. Right in front of him, with his sword raised…his slight trembling not unnoticed…

"YOU FUCKING WITCH! GET AWAY!", Tenmaru yelled, with a mix of rage and fear.

The ghost approached them, facing an opponent she shouldn't face. It was so wrong. Tenmaru wasn't supposed to fight Lady Amane. This wasn't meant to be.

"Tenmaru. Get away", Sesshomaru was finally able to voice.

"You wanted me to stop acting", he retorted dryly.

"This task is not yours. You are soon to father a child."

He turned briefly to grin mischievously. "You might be too."

"Freezing wind!", yelled the blue witch's persona.

The cousin had no time for jesting anymore. He unleashed his own attack colliding with the one of Amane's phantom, but the wicked force was much stronger than Kazuo's. Tenmaru's blow was pushed back in no time, the witch's attack hitting him hard. He flew a few steps back, momentarily stunned.

His suzerain could only watch. Powerless.

Rin tried to stand up to assist him, but Sesshomaru found the strength to catch her by the wrist and pull her to the ground. He climbed swiftly on her just in time to protect her body of a new blow flying over them.

She squirmed. "Sesshomaru!"

_You can't Rin. You know it…_

Rin didn't protest further as she saw a few guards run towards them, most of the warriors surrounding them for better protection, and a few of them running in Tenmaru's direction. New warriors…reinforcements. So someone knew they were there?!

"We're saved!"

The warriors almost had the time to reach Tenmaru, but he failed to dodge another blow and felt to his knees. He got surrounded by a cloud of wicked shadow. As quick as it came, it vanished. He was gone, along with the sorceress.

They all had to watch the sudden emptiness in front of them for a few second to understand.

"No…", whispered Rin, standing up as the clouds scattered swiftly, daylight enlightening them anew. "No-no-no-no-no-no…"

"…Rin…", whispered Sesshomaru.

"NO!" She felt her eyes water. "WHERE IS HE?!"

Sesshomaru didn't answer. He didn't know. He assumed Tenmaru wasn't dead yet, but he might be soon.

Unless Lady Amane had the ambition to use him for leverage, that is…

…Rin started to sob, full of anguish and…guilt. He knew she must feel guilt, because he felt it too…

"It is my fault, not yours", Sesshomaru stated gravely, still on his knees, massaging his temples, a terrible migraine kicking in. "I fought like a fool."

"I was the one who called him coward…", she answered still sobbing. "Kamis!"

"He isn't dead!", exclaimed Nozomi, while patting Rin's shoulder reassuringly. "That guy always has a way to sneak out of trouble. Don't worry, I am sure we will see him again alive!"

Rin shook her head with frustration "NO! We can't leave him! We must try to find him back!"

"It is no use, Lady Rin. The wicked force is gone, and many reinforcements are approaching…", added Kireru, that had caught up with them. He eyed Sesshomaru with a frown. "Do you need a hand, my lord?"

He didn't answer and stood up on his own, failing to hide wisps of stress on his features.

"What will we do then?", wondered Rin with sadness.

Sesshomaru repressed a growl as he looked at the clear blue sky.

_That damned witch…she can truly control the weather…_

He crossed his arms inside his sleeves. "Kireru is right. Even with the reinforcements, I highly doubt we have the necessary forces to defeat the invaders…"

Rin's eyes widened. "So…we…lose the fight? We are just going to retreat?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "Hmph." The situation did seem terrible, voiced such as this. "It is but a brief respite before they meet an appropriate end. We shall close the domain's borders in order to isolate the coast, close the sea and guard our shared borders with the humans. Once this will be done, fighting them will feel like a summer breeze. For now we must alas retreat…"

…

Rin stared at all the picture frames, while biting her lip, holding her arms with a tension she couldn't fight back. She tried not to think about it…and tried hard to distract herself with the little entertainment that was provided to her.

"The year of the cursed typhoon", the calm, cool voice of the Lady Mother stated, as she stared at the first painting to the left. "Scholars used to say that it was not one great storm, but rather, a succession of storms, ravaging our lands, one after the other…However the priests believed that it was the fruit of the anger of the gods. One…endless tempest, meant to cleanse the world of the bloodthirsty youkais ravaging the lands…"

"Which version do you think is right, Sasori-sama?", wondered Rin with curiosity.

The Lady Mother scoffed. "The priests are ridiculous! Kamis would know better. No storm can rid them of the demons!"

Rin stared at the image: an immense painting on an intricate rice paper. Dark clouds in the sky, high waves eating the sandy coast, trees in the corner of the picture leaning in a disquieting fashion. But most importantly, two demons close to the hungry tide. One tall inuyoukai, with silver hair tied and a massive black armour, hand on the shoulder of a smaller one, looking very young –a child– with the same hair colour, dressed in dark red. These two needed no presentation to Rin. Both were looking at the ill-omened storm over the seas.

She couldn't help but ask. "Was it before or after the…incidents?"

Sasori needed no further explanations and smiled sourly. "Oh little Rin…that was way before the events you are referring to. My late husband still had some interest for his son when Sesshomaru was so young…"

Rin looked back at the image with sadness. Inu Taisho and Sesshomaru seemed so close back then.

She had sweet memories of her own father, even though she had lost him when she was very young. She only wished that Sesshomaru had the same luck, but it was rare his features did not betray a little wisp of bitterness when someone spoke of Inu Taisho. She still didn't know everything that had happened, that had strained their relation to a point that his father doubted his son worthy of his birthright. She had the feeling there were many things Sesshomaru had not said, when he bluntly stated that it was because of what he had done with Shinsei…

The Lady Mother watched the human with mild curiosity. "Always the same…so appreciative Sesshomaru's old portraits aren't you?"

Rin smiled back gleefully. "I have to admit... I like to see image of him younger." Her smile widened. "Sasori-sama, do you know if there are paintings somewhere of him smiling?"

She raised an eyebrow and giggled behind her hand. "You are searching for a rare sight I am afraid."

Rin's smile faltered a little. "Yes…I suppose so…"

Sasori hid the lower part of her face while she cooled herself with a fan. "…I never said such images do not exist!"

Rin gasped.

"I bet he would mad if I showed you..." She huffed. "It matters not. What would be a mother-in-law's use, if she doesn't share privileged information about her own offspring to the woman she hands the baton over to?"

Rin glanced around her as if she was about to do something very naughty and didn't want to get caught. "Please show me!"

Sasori smirked deviously. "Follow me…"

They crossed the entire ballroom and walked in a narrow corridor that Rin did not know well. She wondered if Sesshomaru knew they were here. Sometimes she had the impression he simply knew everything about her coming and goings. She wondered if her personal guards reported to him…She shrugged. They were only images. It was not like Sesshomaru would really be angry that she saw those…maybe just a bit annoyed she supposed…

"There", announced the Lady Mother with a low voice.

Rin felt her jaw drop. "Kami!"

Sasori laughed. "Of course, for smiles, he had to be very young!"

On that image, he was on his mother's lap, barely older than a baby, looking like a two year old in human life span, with short hair, big cheeks and a cheerful smile. A baby. That didn't look like him! Only his markings gave out his identity. He actually looked more like Inu Yasha than himself on that picture…Rin noticed that the Lady Mother had more juvenile features. Her kimono was a bright yellow with orange butterflies. She was smiling too, earnestly. She looked much happier than today.

Sasori raised a sceptical eyebrow. "What is it that you are looking at? Me or him?"

"Your garbs were so pretty!"

She scoffed. "Yes, I liked that dress. But little Sesshomaru shredded it all with his little claws and fangs!"

Rin giggled slightly.

"There is also this one…", continued the Lady Mother turning on her heel.

Rin gasped again. There were many children on this painting. All sitting in three rows, the older ones in the back and the younger (cuter) ones up front.

"The little nobles of the Western Lands. All the children of the purest houses", explained the Lady Mother.

It didn't take long for Rin to spot Sesshomaru, on the front line, looking a bit older …more recognizable also, with shoulder length strands and a discreet smile. Kind eyes. He looked a bit shy with all these children around. He didn't have the stern lordly face yet that Rin had seen in the book about the different lords of the Western lands.

Then she saw another familiar face the second line. Tenmaru, surrounded by brothers and sisters, his brat-like grin giving no doubt it was him. How strange was that. He was actually older than Sesshomaru? Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered what had happened to him. The pang of guilt struck again. She couldn't think about this. Not now. Everyone said the same thing each time she brought that up.

Rin tried to forget and looked back at Sesshomaru. "He looked so different…"

Sasori smiled mysteriously. "He was more impressionable back then. "

Rin clapped her hands. "I just want to pick him up and hug him tight!"

The Lady Mother sighed with nostalgia while glancing at the ceiling. "Yes…he did love his mommy's embraces back then…"

The human looked at her, seemingly unbelieving.

Lemony eyes narrowed. "I swear, as surprising as it may seems…he was affectionate back then, the perfect little hugger."

Rin only smiled without saying anything.

Sasori narrowed her eyes even more, clearly suspicious. "I see. So he still is the perfect little hugger, just not with the same woman."

Both laughed out loud, oblivious to the shadow looming over them.

"What are these conspiracies all about?"

Rin stopped laughing with a gasp. The Lady Mother had the ghost of a startle and glanced quickly over her shoulder.

"Son! What are you doing here?", Sasori inquired with aggravation. "Did you want to prank us? You used a charm to conceal your scent or something?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Hmph. I fear your sense of smell is dulling with age, Mother…"

She huffed and laid the back of her hand on her forehead, in her usual dramatic fashion. "I was merely telling your soon-to-be consort how you used to be such an affectionante little boy before you became so cold and ungrateful!"

"She said that you were fond of hugs!", Rin whispered loudly with a devilish grin.

"Oh shush!"

"Hmph."

He examined Rin out of the corner of his eye.

Sasori smiled mischievously. "Do not blame your little mate, Sesshomaru! She simply wanted to have an idea what your future children will look like!"

"I do not blame her."

His mother looked sceptical. "You never want anyone to see those…"

He blinked. "I know what she looked like as a child. It is only fair she knows what I was like as well", he voiced with an even tone.

He walked slowly towards one last picture. "You will like this one, Rin. "

She walked towards it with curiosity, and couldn't control the squeal coming out of her mouth. "Kami! You had a friend!"

He raised an eyebrow, slightly vexed. "You look surprised."

The Lady Mother smiled mockingly. "Can you blame her?"

Rin tsk-tsked and crossed her arms. "Sesshomaru always had plenty of friends…He's just not aware of it!"

He frowned, silently pondering about that one.

Rin looked back at the two boys dressed in dark red, playing a battle of beigomas. Sesshomaru was smiling. He didn't show his teeth, but his smile was true. He looked even a bit older…very similar in what he looked like in the books about the lords, except that he looked happy. He still didn't look lordly. Maybe a bit princely because of his clothes, but nothing gave out that he was a ruler to be yet. The boy with him had dark brown hair, bright red eyes, and dark blue streaks vertically crossing his cheeks. Probably a powerful demon too. He had a big grin; he seemed obviously more outgoing than his companion. They seemed around the same age.

Rin did wonder how a painter could draw such a realistic drawing of a dynamic scene of children playing. It was very natural looking, and lovely.

"What is his name?", she inquired.

"Ryuunosuke."

She frowned. "That name sounds familiar…"

"We should get outside before the sunset", suggested the Lady Mother, with arms crossed, looking suddenly very nervous.

Rin's lips became a thin line…a sudden feeling of uneasiness creeping inside of her as she noticed the Lady Mother's expression. Then she looked back at the other paintings around, and noticed that Ryuunosuke was on other images, including the one with all the noble children of the Western Lands, next to Sesshomaru. They had been friends for a while, it seems…

"How come it is the first time I hear of him?"

Sesshomaru stared back at Rin, amber eyes undecipherable.

She wasn't sure what to think of these eyes.

"Son, do not bring this up", muttered the Lady Mother dryly.

"She asked."

Sasori laid her hands on her hips and watched him reproachfully. "You are tired and not thinking clearly. You took your true form again on the battlefield the other day, didn't you?"

"It has nothing to do with it."

She scoffed. "Nonsense! You are so pale you are about to disappear, why don't you go rest instead!"

Rin felt her heartbeat accelerate, as Sesshomaru glanced back at her. She suddenly wondered if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Ryuunosuke is dead. He was the only true friend I've ever had. He was killed during training: and the first one killed by my hand."

…End of chapter…

Answers to the anonymous reviews:

Jj: ;)

Guest: Wow, that is one enthusiastic review, with the enumerations and impressions and all, I would have put a shiny star sticker on it if I could XD Thanks for feedback !


	27. Between Lady Ko's Walls

Chapter 27: Between Lady Ko's Walls

Rin stole Lady Sasori's fan as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard. The child that Sesshomaru had killed during training was also his…friend?! Why would he have done that? There must be a reason!

She felt her eyebrows rise dangerously high as she kept looking at them argue.

"What is your problem exactly? Why do you bring this up?!", thundered the Lady Mother.

The ghost of a smirk spread on his lips. "Why does the past trouble you so, mother?"

She huffed and moved slightly away from them, her back now facing her interlocutors. "Now is not the time to reminisce such shameful chapters of our history."

Sesshomaru looked back at the picture, something dark crossing his gaze as he inspected it. "Every chapter is worth remembering". He looked back at his mother. "Even those about failure and mistakes…"

The demoness looked back at her son, with anger contorting her features. "You have made NO mistake, do you hear me?! This was an accident!"

"Me stabbing enough to kill. You have a peculiar definition of accident…", he retorted with perfect impassiveness.

"Mere self defense! You didn't realize!"

"I was fully aware of what I was doing."

Rin was turning her head, back and forth.

Sasori's hands balled into fists. "No you didn't! You were just a CHILD! AN INNOCENT MISGUIDED CHILD!"

Sesshomaru frowned as he placed the tips of his fingers on his forehead. "Would you mind ceasing your bellows?"

"NO I WON'T! NOT BEFORE YOU LISTEN TO ME!"

"…Your voice…", he mumbled, delicately massaging his temples. "Stop…"

"YOU DON'T LISTEN WHEN I SPEAK NORMALLY!"

His hand slid down his face, only then Rin noticed that the skin on his forehead was slightly shinier than usual, his gaze unfocused, his complexion as pale as his garbs…

"Enough fighting! Let's go clear our minds outside!", Rin exclaimed imperatively.

"I have other things to do than enjoy the evening breeze", Sesshomaru retorted dryly.

She darted a discreet sideways glance. _Oh nonsense Sesshomaru, some fresh wind will do you good…_

Rin sighed and fanned herself. "Your fights are making me all troubled and weak, I fear I am about to faint", she complained sheepishly.

She caught Sesshomaru by the upper arm, pretending weakness and pulled him towards the door. He didn't protest.

Sasori narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "People yelling make you that effect? It is the first time I hear of it."

"It's your auras", retorted Rin matter-of-factly. "And maybe my current physical state, who knows…", she continued innocently.

The Lady Mother looked alarmed at that, as she watched them walk away. "Do not forget your appointment with Ko-sama, little Rin!"

"I won't!", she replied with a reassuring smile, then she waved hurriedly at a maid passing by. "Fetch me some fresh water please!"

"You heard her? Be quick about it!", snapped the Lady Mother at the little servant as she walked away.

The poor maid bowed low with many apologies and ran as fast as she could to fulfill her new task.

Sesshomaru started to slide the door open, but Rin helped him halfway through, the door clumsily hitting its frame.

"It's raining", observed Rin with a frown.

"We should get back in…"

"Let's go under the gable", she cut him off, pulling him with her. "Let's sit just right here against the wall."

"I do not wish to…"

"Sit with me", Rin snapped a bit dryly, then her expression turned to the one of her sweetest smile. "Please? You have been busy for days! I request some company!"

He gave one annoyed look and spoke no more. He simply rested the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes, while the little maid ran towards them with an intricate jug full of fresh water and one cup.

"Oh thank you!", whispered Rin. "That will be all."

She poured herself water and took one small sip before handing it to Sesshomaru.

"Would you like some?"

He examined her dubiously and took it from her hands. He emptied all of it in one long gulp.

"Would you like some more?", inquired Rin almost instantly.

His darted knowing eyes. "Hmph. Why not? This request was for me after all..."

Rin looked surprised for a brief moment.

One silvery eyebrow rose. "You think I didn't get what you were trying to do?"

She frowned and looked down. "I am sorry. I thought it was for the best."

"I can take care of myself", he insisted.

Rin shook her head, chasing away her thoughts. "You look so tired…"

"I am fine", he answered with a clipped tone.

"I suppose you are done with the organisation of the next scouting to the West and South?", she asked, as if wanting to change the subject.

"Yes."

"Then why wouldn't you rest a bit?", she counter-attacked.

"I am needed."

"Not yet. You have to wait for the report of the scouts before doing anything, right?"

He took a deep breath and indulged himself with a sigh. "You are in poor position to make observations about my physical state. You have dark rings around your eyes yourself."

Rin blushed and looked away. "I am just drowsy all the time as of late…"

"So you have to cope with the same dilemma as I. I can't spent my days in bed", he protested coldly. "I already slept during our travels."

"You talk of the nap in Kuno I bet? You had to take your true form since then, and you got caught in fights involving witches striking you with lightning…"

"I am fine", he snapped again, harsher than he had intended.

She stood up and gave out her hand with a small smile. "Let's go sleep together. Just one night off. Then I will leave you alone. It is not like you are going to have much time to rest in the upcoming days..."

He did not answer right away, and surprisingly took her hand while he stood up, but not to lean on it. "I suppose that I can indulge you just this once..."

Rin smiled gleefully. "I have longed for your company, my love", she purred jokingly.

As they both lay under the sheets, with Rin feeling her eyelids getting heavier, she couldn't help herself but whisper:

"I am sorry for reminding you these sad memories earlier…"

"I am the one who showed you the painting with Ryuunosuke", he replied, without even opening his eyes.

She paused a moment. "Why do you think it is important to remember sad memories during hard times, shouldn't it be the other way around?", she wondered while she snuggled against his chest.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his cheek on the top of her head. Amber eyes opened wide, to stare at the ceiling.

"One must never let go of his past mistakes, or else he will forget his lessons."

"You are so hard on yourself", she whispered with a yawn.

"I am not a child anymore. One single mistake could cost hundreds of lives."

She closed her eyes. "You discarded your pelt for the night. It is time to drop the lordly talk…"

He did not argue on that matter. Instead he let her fall asleep quietly in his arms, while he stared gloomily at the droplets pouring on the wide glass.

…

Sesshomaru woke up with a slight start. The rain was still taping against the windows, thick cloud hiding the rising sun, leaving only a very shy veil of light penetrating the wide chambers. Rin was still sleeping soundly, her frail body so hot against his that he could feel the warmth through the fabric covering her. The sensation was not unpleasant at all, since he felt slightly sensitive to the cold that night. That felt odd: it was usually the other way around…Rin had always been the one who sought for warmth, while he provided very willingly…

He did not quite understand what had pulled him out of his rest at such an early hour. He knew that he needed to sleep more: he could still feel heaviness in his eyelids and soreness in his limbs. And so he closed his eyes and bathed in the joyful feel of slothfulness. In fact, could that even qualify as laziness, if it was needed?

Knock-knock-knock

His eyes snapped open, suddenly remembering why he had woken up in the first place. Of course. Someone had dared knocking to his door...

"M-my lady?", mumbled the muffled voice of a maid.

Someone for Rin? It was the first time someone fetching her actually had the arrogance to knock to his door. He supposed that he shouldn't be surprised of that situation: she was growing in importance and now had many responsibilities to attend to. However, it was not a reason to let her rest be ruined so easily. He pulled himself out of bed, and walked slowly towards the door, sliding it open with quite an explicit glare. The poor women gasped in fright at the sight of him, probably slightly unruly and not as prudish as he should be.

He recognized Rin's maid: Ami. It was odd of this hanyou girl to disturb them as such…

"My lord?"

Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Why do you deem necessary to disturb my mate at such unreasonable hours?", he inquired with dangerous iciness.

She looked down apologetically. "Lady Rin has an appointment today with Ko-sama."

"And that needs to be in the middle of the night?"

The maid fidgeted at his bluntness. "Y-yes…these type of procedures need to be done at first light in the morning. These are the words of Lady Ko herself."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. Was that so? Now he felt a little bad for the girl… "Rin is tired. She needs to rest. Is that instruction truly mandatory?", he insisted.

"I am afraid so, my lord."

He repressed a sign, nodded and closed the door without saying a word. He would normally have bothered with the expected courtesies before doing so, but he was not one to be very jovial in the mornings. He slid back under the sheets, vicious temptation prompting him not to respect his duty, but instead he sneaked close to his beloved…

…He had become an expert in the gentlest waking up rituals.

"…Rin…", he whispered, while caressing silky strands framing her face. She frowned slightly.

He approached her ear. "Are you awake?"

"…Hmmm…no", she decided, and laid her face on his shoulder.

His features softened. His lips slid delicately on the soft skin on her cheek. She smiled in her resigned sleep.

"What are you doing?", she murmured, sounding almost annoyed.

He dropped a few chaste kisses on her face, trying to bury every sign of amusement at the sound of her lazy elocution. "I was told…that you have an appointment…"

"Sun's not up."

"I believe it is. Under rainclouds…that is."

"Hmrmrmrm"

He raised an eyebrow. Growling, really? When had she started that?

He concluded he had to be a bit more direct. "Rin, you are late."

Her eyes snapped open. "Am I?"

"They knocked for you."

She gasped and got out in a hurry, slipping out of her nightly clothes.

"Kami, the appointment with Lady Ko! I had completely forgotten!", she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

Sesshomaru looked at her with mild interest. "You know you can reschedule. No one is in a posture to order you around."

She shook her head as she slid her hadajuban and a simple kimono on. "I have been harassed so much about this appointment..."

He closed his eyes. "By whom? My mother ?"

She did not answer. There was no point to deny the truth. She shrugged. "I told them it was way too early to see any signs…but they wouldn't listen! I'll just get this over with and then they won't have a choice but to leave me alone for another month."

He rose an eyebrow, his dizzy mind only now understanding what this little appointment was all about. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

Rin felt redness spread on her cheeks. "I-I…" She looked back at him, biting her lower lip. "No thanks. It is a woman thing anyway."

He nodded and closed his eyes, giving up at any attempt to fight back the numbness of his body.

She tied her obi with ease and smiled softly. "I will let you know the results, of course."

"Hmm", was his only comprehensible answer.

She frowned with concern. He looked so tired…

She walked towards the door, and before sliding it open…

"You know…", she cleared her throat. "Maybe you should go see Lady Ko too." She smiled reassuringly. "You've been going through a lot lately. A check-up once in a while certainly doesn't harm."

He opened at eye, looking slightly annoyed.

Rin tried to remain serious. Oh she had scratched his pride, she knew it…She walked towards him and crouched next to the bed, her face close to his.

"Lady Ko is a fantastic healer and has excellent remedies even for the slightest condition", she insisted. "But you know that. She cured me of the snake poison before." Then she felt something stir in her stomach, unease creeping in like a disease. "It is probably not justified. But I am worried for you…Like I said: you have been going through a lot lately. I just wish that you remain in your best condition", she murmured.

His features softened. He stretched an arm to caress her cheek.

_Dearest, you sure learn quickly how to pull the strings…_

He closed his eyes again and gave a slight nod "Though I know it is a waste of time… I shall oblige to the task. I do not want you to be troubled."

Her thankful smile was followed by a tender kiss.

…

Rin walked swiftly through the corridors, already full even though it was still so early. The sound of chitchat bouncing through the walls was already as loud as any other hours of the day. It wasn't that much of a surprise; demons were not the hardest sleepers…

She had a tense smile on her lips as she walked towards the infirmary, trying not to think about her last visit to Lady Ko: when she had bit bitten by the snake... Back in that time, she was still a source of controversy: stared at each time she ventured in the mansion…

This place had now become her home and she had become a part of the décor: many demons nodding and exchanging courtesies with her, most of the time with genuine politeness. Things sure had changed since she had become Sesshomaru's mate…

Rin scratched the back of her head. She did not know why she felt so uneasy. She knew that probably most of the court was very impatient to know if she was with child, but the truth was, she had stopped taking moon tea only a few weeks ago, and she knew that even she were pregnant, it would be much too early to know. Alas the Lady Mother and Ko-sama had insisted for an early appointment. Rin did not want to argue too much and simply accepted, knowing that this would be the easiest way to soothe them all (though she was surprised that even the main healer of the Western Castle was not aware of the most basic knowledge about human women's fertility...

The infirmary was in a distant wing of the mansion, but the walk had been much shorter than in her memories. Rin gulped nervously as she spotted the tall white door. A smiling guard opened it for her.

Lady Ko was in a corner of the white immaculate room (surprisingly luminous for this time of the day)… apparently doing the inventory of her medicinal herbs, nodding with enthusiasm each time she confirmed the quantity of her meticulously classified remedies stored on perfectly lined shelves.

She did not raise her head when she heard Rin clear her throat.

"I was expecting you, please have a seat. Have some herbal tea. I will be with you shortly."

Rin smiled politely, sat on a tatami and let one of the servant give her the concoction. Rin looked at it suspiciously: knowing it was not the type of herbal tea pleasant to drink.

"So, how have you been Ko-sama?", Rin wondered curiously. "Did you have more patients than usual lately?"

"Hmmm, not as much as I would have expected. A few injured warrior from the attack on the coast, but I fear that many of them have postponed their rendez-vous…"

"Oh? How so?"

The healer smiled sadly. "The warrior's pride" She shook her head. "It matters not."

"Not it does", Rin replied with short, curt words. "We did lose quite a lot of men on the coast. We should take care of those that have survived. But I fear many of them do not accept to have limits and weaknesses. That could become a problem soon enough. We need everyone at the best!"

Lady Ko smiled pleasantly. "You sure are more talkative that the last time I have seen you, Lady Rin!"

The human smiled back. "Well I am not half dead this time."

"Not at all, you are full of life."

Rin too a sip of her tea, while looking away.

"I sense your febricity, my Lady. Let us not making you wait any longer…"

…

Kireru stopped talking for a moment, taking a long sip of hot tea, as if trying to soothe his dry throat, before moving forward with his dreadful report.

Rin mimicked him. She sure abused of tea that morning, she looked with contempt at her slightly shaking fingers as she put her cup down on the table. It was one hell of a reunion…she sure wished she wouldn't have to hear any of this at the moment…

"Every frontiers North of the coast have been successfully closed. As I explained earlier, it is the new breach in the South West that we should be concerned about. About five hundred blue men have been spotted, among a thousand rebels of the coast, marching in our direction as we speak…"

The fox stopped himself again, suddenly disturbed by a sob. Rin glanced at Lady Takara, clearly panicked and doing everything she could to conceal her cries. The mortal woman could only frown at the scene: it was way too early for Hatsuno's daughter to take over his responsibilities. Whoever had the smart idea of inviting her must regret their choice at the moment.

"The sea is in a poor state as well. It is getting harder for us to keep the communications steady between the continent and Kun'Ketsu", continued Lady Miyah, with a scowl. Her face was emaciated and dark circles could be seen under her eyes. To Rin, the hanyou leader had always been ageless and beautiful, with a gaze as hard as steel. That day, she was old looking, and her turquoise eye was hollow.

The Lady Mother was inspecting the she-wolf with a mix of disdain and haughtiness. Rin could feel that somewhere not that deep, Sasori fancied to throw one well-felt "I told you that we couldn't trust this dirty blooded gipsies!" to her son, but she didn't. Instead, only wisps of sourness and annoyance escaped from her icy mask.

Nozomi and Jaken looked downright terrified by the dark words, while Kireru got back to his dreadful report about casualties among Sesshomaru's troops. Rin herself, knew she should feel very troubled by the situation, but it was as if her spirit couldn't comprehend what was happening: that there truly was a budding war between the Western Lands and the Central Empire, and the odds looked bad for Sesshomaru's realm at the moment. In fact, it was surprising that Lady Amane had not sent a formal declaration of war yet. Maybe it was part of some sort of scheme: as long as no war was officially declared, she could keep full control on her armies, which wouldn't be the case if she lead her war the _right way_… Using these dirty tricks shielded her against all sorts of votes and opposition of her vassals…and confused the vassals of the Western Realm as well…

Sesshomaru seemed to be in the same detached state as her. He looked placid, too placid…and tired, very tired, in fact, but his features did not betray the least bit of concern or irritation, which was surprising. Rin would have expected him to display some sign of anger, but instead, he kept listening to Kireru and Lady Miyah with mild interest (or even…boredom?) Of course, he was not prone to expressiveness, but he was usually not so cold when his authority was so directly challenged…

Rin slid a hand under the table and took his. He closed his fingers on hers, unconsciously attempting to make her feel safe.

She so wished she could talk to him in private. She had to talk to him!

"I can't believe how we've let ourselves been fooled as such!", exclaimed Sasori while crossing her arms. "If we hadn't listened to this…dirty blooded general Kazuo in the first place…"

"I think we all agree that if the culprit won't leave the realm with his head on his shoulders if he ever shows up again", added Sesshomaru sinisterly, while massaging his temples. "This situation requires immediate attention. At least two thousands warriors must be deployed."

"We can provide five hundred men if that can be of help, my lord", answered Nozomi nervously.

"I could provide up to two thousands, but that would leave the oriental borders weak. Maybe a thousand?", suggested Tatsumaki with nonchalance.

Sesshomaru frowned thoughtfully. "Seven hundred will be enough. The remaining needs will be filled with the troops of the main domain and some of the Northern borders."

Sasori's lips became a thin line. "Lady Kishiko will be mad. Especially after what we have let happen to his husband."

Rin gulped and felt the flapping wings of dread in her stomach again. Tenmaru. She felt so guilty: she shouldn't have called him a coward. He shouldn't have come with them to the coast. They should have let him stay with his wife…

"Tenmaru fought bravely and was the victim of an unfortunate scheme, but it doesn't mean that we can afford not using any of his troops. Considering the Lands of the Northwest have been peaceful since the conquest, his armies are in fact, among the least solicited at the moment…", replied Sesshomaru matter-of-factly.

"Have we received the reports of the scouts searching for him?", Rin wondered worriedly.

"Yes we did. We still know nothing", answered Sasori dryly.

"Who will lead the armies my lord?", wondered Kireru.

Sesshomaru seemed hesitant. "Such an outrage to the sovereignty of our lands would require a significant appearance..."

Sasori narrowed her eyes. "We are about to receive fresh report from the loyalists of the Western Coast and the new subjects of the North. It would be unwise the risk the lives of vassals or the Lord himself while we need all of the wits we can get."

His son shot her a sideways glance, and for one instant, Rin thought that he was going to say that he was going to lead the armies anyway.

He shrugged. "We shall send general Qien. He has won worse battles."

Rin and the Lady Mother sighed in relief in synch, while Kireru scribbled on a peace of parchment.

"A wise decision my lord. I can fetch Qien for you and brief him about the situation", the fox commented.

"Ahem. I shall write to the dispatched troops of the mainlands and order them to come back at once!", said Jaken.

"I'll send appropriate correspondence to my men", added Nozomi.

"Hm, I'll do the same", replied Tatsumaki with nonchalance.

"Meanwhile, I will attempt to write back to my late father's loyalists", suggested Lady Takara, less teary than before.

"I will write something kind to Kishiko and keep her updated on the situation", finished Sasori. She eyed Rin. "Maybe you would like to bring some heartfelt compassion to that letter?"

Rin nodded. "I can help with that."

Sesshomaru looked at his left, towards the window, with wisps of annoyance, for the first time since the beginning of the meeting. "Everything is set, I suppose. You are dismissed."

People stood up before he even finished his sentence, in preparations for action. Sasori called out Rin impatiently, forcing her to leave the room at the same time as everyone, even though that was not her wish.

The last thing Rin saw, as she got out of the study, was Sesshomaru undecipherable gaze, down on the papers in front of him, still as a statue, as if frozen into place.

He was the only one left without a task.

…

Rin shook her head disapprovingly as she observed the content of the letter. "Not like this, the last line would be a place where we ask Lady Kishiko to take good care of herself."

Lemony eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't that be overdoing it?"

"No. It shows we are concerned about her and that she should worry more about herself than her husband. We are handling the situation!"

The Lady Mother scoffed. "Little Rin, now you will have to leave your signature next to mine. Anybody who will read it will know these words do not come from my mouth!"

The human smiled playfully. "As you wish, my lady…"

Sasori crossed your arms. "Humph. Come to think of it, you could sign it alone!"

"But you helped…", Rin prostested.

The demoness shrugged off the matter with her hand like an irritating fly. "So many people come to the aid of the Lords and Ladies of the Western Lands without any recognition. You should start getting used to accept taking credit on your own now. What is left of these lands will be yours soon."

Rin blinked and nodded curtly.

The Lady Mother nodded as she inspected the signature. "Decently executed. I could not guess this comes from a commoner."

Rin tried not to cringe. "Is that what you see when I show up in a room? A simple human peasant?"

Sasori half smirked. "Oh, you have started growing an ego at last!"

Rin looked away to conceal her heating cheeks as she gave the letter to one of the servants. "I suppose this is my cue to leave. I have so many letters to write of my own…"

"Little Rin, are you disturbed by my observations?", inquired the demoness. "This was meant as a compliment."

"I have always thought that big egos were a problem…"

Sasori tsk-tsed. "For low class humans I suppose. You will not convince anyone of your importance if you keep thinking like one". The Lady Mother giggled slightly. "It shouldn't be a problem. I was told your instincts do remind those of a blood thirsty demoness…"

"I am not blood thirsty!", exclaimed Rin with a healthy blush.

"Oh shush…I have heard of how my son admires your new talents at snake slaughter", she added with wisps of mischief.

"Sasori-sama!", Rin exclaimed with her cheeks now burgundy.

"Oh don't be shy now. You think I've never _hunted_ with my late husband? ", inquired the demoness with a wink.

Rin decided not to reply to that…it was so embarrassing!

The Lady Mother got back to seriousness. "What matters to me is that you seem to have every traits a inuyoukai worthy of ruling should possess…"

Rin repressed her gasp, and looked down with a slight smile. "You think so?"

"Of course! Wits, strength, leadership, protectiveness with those that matters…" Sasori frowned. "Unlike this…Lady Takara…"

"Oh please, do not be judgemental of her!"

"She cries like a little girl when she hears of death and blood. What sort of demoness is that?"

"She just lost her father!", argued Rin with her hands balled into fists. "You didn't judge me when I cried for Kohaku!"

"You were just a young commoner without proper education sobbing about her young beloved…of course you deserved a little more empathy. Even I feel a little something when I hear of dead striplings and maidens! However, I do not understand why this mature noblewoman feels compelled to cry for her father way due his passing!"

"She can't help it…", mumbled Rin with aggravation.

Sasori smiled mysteriously, before refreshing herself with her fan and walking away. "We can control everything, little Rin. Every emotion, as painful as they can be, should all be buried deep when duty requires it. Even you, without knowing how, succeeded controlling your pain back then. For gods' sake, this Takara girl was supposed to be Lady of the West material!" Sasori laid the back of her hand on her forehead. "It would have been a shame to have this weakling bear my little children…"

Rin did not answer right away. It was so ironic to hear the Lady Mother speak as such, when she was so obsessed with having pure-blooded little children not so long ago. "I think I might be due to…"

"Speaking of which", Sasori cut her off, with smiling eyes. "What did Lady Ko say?"

Rin cleared her throat and looked away. "Nothing worth mentioning, Sasori-sama", she mumbled. "I should really go now…"

Sasori rolled her eyes and fanned herself. "One would think you are in a hurry to leave me."

The human smiled reassuringly. "One would think you always arrive to the worst conclusions."

"True", the demoness admitted. She shook her head. "Fine! Go on with your duties…whatever they are."

"Thank you Sasori-sama."

She stood up and bowed for the Lady of the West, as she walked towards the door.

"One last thing…", Rin whispered. "What you told me to write about…" She paused, biting her lower lip. "Tenmaru's chances of survival…Is that true?"

Sasori scoffed. "Pleas don't worry about him! Even if we hadn't sent any help, I am certain we have not seen the last of him. I swear that sneaky dog must have some rats in his bloodline. His survival instincts are very strong. Whatever crazy plans the blue witch might have for him…he will sneak his way out with any means possible… nothing is out of his amoral reach…"

…

The long shrilling cry of a prisoner in the grip of an obviously unpleasant treatment pulled Tenmaru out of his nightmarish sleep. He opened his eyes out of reflex, but squeezed them shut as soon as he recognized his surroundings. A tiny black hole, so freaking damp and cold! He had hoped it was just a bad dream, that if he forced himself to sleep long enough, he will just wake up out of this mess. It was easier when the effect of their dizzying spell was still working, but that thing had stopped doing its magic long ago, and he was now stuck in there, alone with himself, wondering what craziness persuaded his usually very calculative mind into doing something as idiotic as getting involved in a fight between Sesshomaru and what looked like a copycat of Lady Amane.

Tenmaru smirked. Oh of course he knew! It was because of the damn mission in Kuno just before. Because of it, each time Rin screamed, his heart started beating frenetically and crazy reflexes kicked in. He caught the damn disease. Sesshomaru's disease. Tenmaru thought that it was a good thing he was at last away from Rin, or else he was going to start wearing armours all day long like his cousin and talk of honourable things and actually believe in them!

Just why the hell did the sweet looking human had such an effect on him, he still wasn't certain, and not sure it was a wise idea to ponder about that.

His sapphire eyes opened again, to stare at the dark surroundings. One of his knee was twisted in a weird angle: the cell was so tiny he couldn't even lie down properly. Oh he was so far from his comfy bed and Kishiko's relaxing melody of her breathing when she slept…No one slept as beautifully as her…

He seriously wanted to smash his fist against the wall in infuriation, but that would have attracted one of the guard's attention, something Tenmaru wanted to avoid at all cost. It was obvious that there was nothing to earn from letting them know that he was awake and possibly thinking about an escape plan. They would either torture him or put him to sleep again if they knew…and so he looked at the floors, thinking for the millionth time of ways to get out of this awful place. He was going crazy because of the isolation, lack of woman and sake, and the dampness and heat during the day made him stink badly. He loathed that sensation.

He scanned the walls for a thousandth time, even though he knew already that there was no easy way out. No window, only one, very detestable skylight over him, making the cell scorching hot during the day, and cold at night. And the ceilings were so high…and there was one very unpleasant spell in that building making him sickly weak. They probably did that to keep their prisoners inside. It must be the only way to keep any powerful demon in a cell; the arcane magic preventing them of taking their true form. He also knew he couldn't use his few demonic skills remaining to jump up and find a way out through the skylight, there was no grip for him to hold on while he would try to hit the bars (supposing he had enough strength left to destroy them, which was far from guaranteed).

He repressed a growl. He knew there was one…easy way out. Easy might be exaggerated…but he had seen the guard of that area, once or twice…interacting with other guards and prisonners. Since his silent snooping, Tenmaru had instantly understood from the nature of what he heard that the guard most often in front of his cell had one flaw he had every competency to exploit. Though that didn't appeal to him a lot, he knew he could do it. It was risky, both for his safety and manly pride, but his twisted mind could not think of anything else smarter to try…

Tenmaru glanced at the skylight to give himself some courage, while he repressed a shiver of disgust from running up his spine. The night was so cloudy: no stars or moon would give him away if he found his way out…

Yes he could do it. If sweet Rin had slayed a bunch of lizard demons with one cheap human dagger when she had been kidnapped and ran away in the deadly forests of the West without getting killed instantly, he, the Infamous Tenmaru, dog demon of the Moon Tribe, Warden of the Northern Borders, could certainly find a way out of this prison cell with a bit of slyness…

He took a deep breath and stood up, turning his body towards the main entrance, one huge door made of bars stretching from the ceiling to the floor. He laid on the metallic bars nonchalantly and scrubbed the chains tying his wrists on them…making a clinking sound that was certainly going to attract his prey…

Soon enough, the fat (just what did he eat to be fat like that?!), guard made one slow step after the other, closer and closer to the cell, looking half grumpy, half intrigued.

"Hey…", started Tenmaru with slight reserve.

"So the inuboy is finally awake", observed the stout guard. His voice was coarse, and he was way taller from that angle. Tenmaru repressed the urge the gulp.

He smiled pleasantly "What? Was my sleep so long?"

The guard laughed. "We started calling you sleeping beauty y'know…"

Tenmaru wanted to throw up. Yes he knew. He had heard…

He stretched himself innocently. "Really? If I remember that tale correctly, it was all about a pretty girl…"

"With just an eye on your back and sissy hair in the shadow, we can get mistaken!", insisted the guard with one sardonic smirk.

Tenmaru smiled back a bit deviously, while looking away. "Do you have a lovely wife waiting for you at home, Mr guard?"

The fat man frowned suspiciously. "Why of all things, would you ask that, boy?"

The inudemon shrugged. "I'm bored…" He leaned against the bars again, with one quick glance at the belt of that fat bastard, before staring back at the guard straight into the eyes, unblinking as he thought about he was going to do…

"Guarding prisoners day and night…it must get pretty lonely…", he continued.

"Why the hell do you care?"

"Well I sure am bored…and so lonely in there…", Tenmaru moaned dramatically.

The guard raised an eyebrow and smirked mockingly. "What are you implying, _boy_?

Tenmaru smirked deviously and approached his face from the fat abomination, repressing again the urge to gag. "I saw what you did to the little guy over there…last night…", he commented with a husky voice.

The guard snarled. "What? The sleeping beauty wasn't really resting?"

"…Nah…", Tenmaru replied, annoyed at the nickname. He smirked back at the guard, leaning a bit suggestively again against the bars. "I watched it all…"

The guard looked sceptical. "I don't like men."

Tenmaru blinked.

_Yeah right…_

"I can play girl for you. I am good at pretending", he purred, rising his eyebrows suggestively.

"It isn't the same. The other guy was small and dainty…", justified the guard.

"But you said it yourself: I have long silky hair and I look like a princess while I sleep!", argued the inuyoukai, looking innocent and hurt.

The guard eyed the inudemon from head to toe, seemingly in deep dilemma.

For a guard not liking men at all, he didn't seem to hate what he was looking at either…

_Gods!_

Tenmaru crept a little closer against the bars, discreetly licking his upper lip with the tip of his tongue (the way Kishiko would do for him during the bed games), while he seemingly looked away to check if someone was coming. "Come on…don't tell me you wanna skip a quickie!"

The guard growled and tried to grab him through the bars, but Tenmaru snatched away and took a few steps back with one naughty smirk. "You got inside for the other guy…"

The guard growled some more and finally agreed to take out his keys, and tried to open the lock clumsily, while he eyed the prisoner. Tenmaru gave him one sideways glance. So caught in his professional flirtations, he almost grabbed his crotch for more credibility as he spotted in which pocket the key was slid in, but then remembered he had to play girl, and so he took a few steps back towards the shadow and slid a hand through his loose hair. The guard stared at him while he opened the door, probably noticing the gleam in the sapphire, but he was way too idiotic and obsessed with his own rut to get that the prisoner was not lusting for the same thing as him.

"Turn a around."

_Godsgodsgodsgodsgods…_

"Wha? No foreplay?", Tenmaru tried innocently, as he indeed slowly spunned around, still standing, while cracking his knuckles so innocently…

"Shut the fuck up and bend over."

And then he felt the fat guard pant close to his neck and one disgusting hand tugging at his sash. One elbow left flying before Tenmaru could think twice and smashed the guard in the face.

"Ugh!"

Tenmaru took two swift steps back to the side of the guard to get behind him while raising his arms to expose the chains tied to his wrists. Before he knew it, the fat demon guard was on his knees, squirming and struggling like a wild beast as the inudemon strangled him mercilessly with the chains.

"Well look who's on his knees now", he muttered, smirking quietly at his own pun as the fat guard squirms became weaker and weaker. The piece of meat was soon enough on the floor, lethally smothered.

…So they gave nothing to remove the effect of the weakness spell to their own guards?! So stupid! He had been as easy to kill as a human. Not like Tenmaru had killed any humans before, but so many demons used that expression that he assumed the average mortal must be quite easy to murder…He just shrugged and grabbed the keys in his prey's pockets and tried a few ones before successfully untying himself. He stole the guard's blade and finally got away from that cell and the sweaty…stinky piece of fat.

He did keep the chains with him though…for the next part of his plan, the use of a blade was not the best idea. The spell casted on the dungeons prevented him from summoning his own demonic whips, but the chains were barely heavier. He could still do a decent, quite silent and clean job with those. He had always preferred whips to blades…

The demon strolled through the corridor, never far from the wall, hoping that he would remain undetected, smile spreading at the corner of his lips as he spotted the source of the upcoming footsteps.

"What is that noise?", grumbled a new guard: tall, lean with very pale yellow hair tied in a ponytail. He startled as he spotted the prisoner behind him.

Tenmaru smiled heartedly when the guard came face to face with him. "I really like your suit!"

This one, being much less fatty, was quicker to respond and gave some struggle to the inudemon, but was slayed as well in the end, in a dark corner of the room. The fugitive stole the corpse's blue uniform to put it on. It was part of Tenmaru's brilliant plan to leave with ease. After all, what was the point of running like a maniac when he could just take his time find a way out?

He took a brief moment to inspect himself and pouted in disgust. He was dressed like Amane's minion. His attire was almost the same as the little general brat Kazuo…urgh…What a shame!

He whistled to himself for a while, as he searched for the route the get out, and then, when he at last, thought he had found the perfect exit to finish his brilliant escape plan…

"Hey! Ichiro! Come here!", called a guard, coming from behind him.

Tenmaru flinched and repressed a curse. Ichiro was probably the name of the yellow haired one! He tried to keep walking, in hopes that the guard would just leave him alone…

"ICHIRO! WHAT THE HELL!", yelled the guard behind him, walking faster.

Tenmaru's jaw tensed. He slowed in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

This new guard looked a bit surprised. Tenmaru didn't like the length of his sword.

"You're not Ichiro!"

The inuyoukai shrugged innocently. "This is not what I am called no!"

"Then who are you? You wear Ichiro's uniform, he is the only one with the black sash!"

_Gods…_

"Wait, you look like that…"

Tenmaru took out his sword and prayed as it collided with the one of his new foe.

…

SHIIING!

"NOZOMI! Back off!"

The kitsune took a step back and removed her training sword from against Rin's.

Her green eyes widened with confusion. "What's wrong? You are tougher than that usually!"

The human frowned worriedly. "Can you…be just a little gentler today?"

"Why for? Do you feel under the weather?"

"W-well…no but…"

"Then why should I?"

Rin sighed. "Just don't ask any questions for once…"

The kitsune smiled smugly. "Well you're acting like a princess now."

"Nozomi come on…"

Rin gasped as the fox threw herself at towards her in one leap, trying to slash her thrice. She had to jump back and almost failed to avoid the last one.

"I will not leave you alone until you tell me what's wrong!", exclaimed the fox.

Before Rin could process an answer however, it was Nozomi's eyes that widened first as another blade collided with hers.

"WHA! AH! THIS ISN'T FAIR!"

Rin had to blink a few times to understand what was going on, a whitely dressed figure attacking mercilessly the kitsune.

One slash, two slashes…three-four-five-six-seven and Nozomi lost her balance and fell to the ground, stunned by the speed of her opponent.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Wh-why did you interfere!?"

Amber eyes narrowed threateningly. "You did not obey your superior, Nozomi."

Her eyes widened. "But-but Rin needs to train hard if she wants to get stronger!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I can understand your devotion about her training, but why did you deem necessary to invade her privacy as such?"

Nozomi displayed clear confusion. "Uh…did I?"

Sesshomaru glanced nonchalantly at his blade. "I believe we will have no further needs of your services in regards to training for today. Why don't you go check the progress of your troops instead?"

Rin had to repress giggles and look away. Oh Sesshomaru could still be so protective sometimes…Nozomi sheathed her sword and was about to make her bows, until her forest green irises widened again. The human had to stare at the source of her concern, then her eyes widened.

"Se…Sesshomaru?", she inquired, very surprised.

He blinked twice. "What are you waiting for Rin? Draw your blade."

"But you…never wanted to…"

He raised a daring eyebrow. "Will you refuse me?"

Rin shook her head, the effect of her pride taking over her reason. No way she could refuse that!

"Attack me", he specified. "I want you to show me what you've got."

She nodded, taking a deep breath, and roared and she gave one first thrust at him. He dodged swiftly, and then she hesitated.

He blinked. "Again."

"R-really? You want the real fight?"

"Yes. I want to see the best that you can do."

Most of the people in the room center had gathered around them, way too curious to pursue their own training, all gathering in a wide circle and watching avidly like a pack of hungry wolves. Rin had hoped that Sesshomaru would just tell them to get away, but he was so focused on his _prey_ that he didn't even seem to notice their presence.

Rin nodded again and smirked. "As you wish, my lord."

She jumped and gave five other blows in different directions. He avoided them all. She tried harder: seven, then ten, with even more speed and accuracy, until she started to pant and sweat, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it. However, at the last series of slashes, Rin noticed that Sesshomaru had grown slower. She frowned, thinking it was probably some sort of strategy to encourage her to try even harder.

She ignored the sweat trickling down her back and roared again, slashing like a wilding nine times on his left shoulder. He avoided them all…

And then she tried to the right…and hit in hard in the ribs. He gasped in surprise, but then she thrust unexpectedly and hit him hard in the stomach with the back of her sword. He took a step back and fell on one knee.

Rin heard everyone around them gasp. She felt her own lower jaw drop, to leave one expression of very deep surprise.

Sesshomaru did look astounded as well.

"What is this show all about, son?", inquired the Lady Mother, as she got inside the room, unbelieving. "Losing a training against your own betrothed?"

Rin's eyes became even wider. Than she just laughed out loud, surprising everyone as she threw her sword on the ground.

"Oh please Sasori-sama! I thought you were sharper than that!"

Lemony eyes narrowed, then she scoffed. "Oh…the effects of love. That fool is pretending to lose just for you, is that it?"

Rin smiled playfully and spoke no more. Sesshomaru looked at her dubitatively, then stood up.

"I do not pretend", he added stoically. "I swear I didn't."

His tone did sound a bit odd. It was good enough for the Lady Mother.

"Son. You have to stop your childish games. We have received another grave report from battles on the coast."

He frowned, and sheathed the training sword, gave one curt nod to Rin and walked away without saying another word.

Rin looked at him leave the room, and wiped her forehead, silently cursing about the fact that she still failed to have one lone moment with him…

…

He was barely older than a boy. Short dark hair, big puffy cheeks, yet narrow and cold eyes. Rin was not judging. She knew the ways of war. She knew that some men were to be trained to become killing machines and nothing else. She knew her own mate had been partly raised as such, and so she dared not make any comment about the indifference of the young warrior as he described methodically how he had fled one of the biggest armies that had been sent to push back the blue warriors…most of the others brutally murdered, while a few had deserted, with no intention to report their defeat to the main domain. The boy mentioned thousands of casualties. Rin had been unable to avoid the tears when she had heard that. It was the lives of thousands of young men, losing not only their own, but shattering those of their wives and children…

The reasons of this terrible defeat remained to be determined. She could feel Sesshomaru's powerful stare on the boy, trying to decipher unspoken truths. She herself had not enough knowledge to be fully certain, but something in his sudden irritation seemed to demonstrate how grave the situation was. This army was not meant to meet any struggle and be killed almost entirely by the rebels of the coast. Their numbers should have guaranteed that the blue warriors still on the coast would be wiped out quickly.

"And so the army was not split?", wondered Sesshomaru with all the placidness he could gather.

The warrior shook his head. "No my lord. The attack resembled more to an ambush. Frontlines attacking us from the front, and shortly after we were surrounded on all sides."

"This means casualties close to ten thousands my lord", commented Kireru darkly.

Ten thousand…Rin held her forehead, then she noticed Lady Sasori shook her head and sighed in exasperation. The demoness stood up and walked slowly towards the window.

"Ten thousands wiped out", repeated Sesshomaru, as if trying to digest the information.

"Yes, my lord."  
"I suppose the opponents were a few times more numerous?

The boy suddenly stiffened, then shook his head. The inuyoukai raised an eyebrow in silent inquisition.

"They were less, my lord…About half of our numbers."

Sesshomaru's hands tightened on his armchair. Rin knew he might be close to tear his armrests.

"This army was composed in majority of seasoned warriors, how is that possible?", he whispered with quiet furry.

The boy stiffened even more, and looked at his feet. "M-my l-lord…If-if-if I may…"

Rin blinked in surprise. It was the first time the young soldier stuttered.

The Lord of the Western Realm glanced at him and nodded, as a silent cue to state whatever he felt like sharing.

"If I may be so bold. We did notice during the fight that many of our men had a strange behaviour."

A silvery eyebrow rose. "Explain."

"For many of them, their performance was…not so good. Mediocre at best." The boy scratched his temple. "There were many mages among the blue army. Many of them had the time to cast diverse curses before they were killed. They didn't even seem to fear their fate. It was as if their sole objective was to cast their spells, fully knowing getting too close to us would mean a certain death."

Sesshomaru looked away, irritation back on his features. "I wouldn't be surprised this was the way they were trained. Martyr mages I assume…But I find it hard to believe that all ten thousand men were cursed before getting slayed?"

The boy shook his head. "I would say about half of them were. Most of Amane's frontlines were composed of mages. We thought it was a peculiar choice and we succeeded killing them quite quickly. However, not before they had the time to cast their spells...I guess it was their strategy all along: making us believe it was going to be a piece of cake…"

"What type of spells did the mages use?", Sasori asked, while looking out of the window.

"Pardon me, my lady?"

She glanced back at him with annoyance. "Did you hear incantations? Anything that might help us understand what this curse was all about? Some sort of plague maybe?"

The boy shook his head. "No plague, we would have noticed. The effects of the curse were not as clear. In fact we didn't notice much, expect that…"

"What?", the Lady Mother prompted.

"All those cursed were feeble. No cursed youkais were able to take their true form…"

"Hmph…a weakness spell then", wondered Sesshomaru out loud, holding his chin. "I didn't think these can be used to prevent their victims from taking their true form…"  
"I swear it was the case my lord. I did also notice that two of my partners –killed– were even worse than the others. They were truly…unable to fight…"

Sesshomaru frowned. "Incapable of fighting you say?"

The boy fidgeted. "Well…they could but…the effect of the spell was so strong on them…they were as weak as humans!"

"How did you notice that?"

"Well they could walk around and take out their swords and all but they seemed incapacitated even before being cursed by the mages. One of them said that…it must have been because of the arcane force you have met on the coast…" 

"Lady Amane's phantom?", wondered the Lady Mother.

Rin had to repress a shiver at the spooky memory. She felt a sudden wave of uneasiness as she remembered the pale blue eyes and the misty shadow…

Sesshomaru shifted in his seat. "Are you saying these men accepted a mission to go back on the coast, knowing they could have been struck already by a curse while they ventured on our way back from Kuno?"

"I think they didn't know before departing, or at least…pretended not to", replied the boy. He paused a moment, looking uneasy. "But I personally did notice from the beginning that they slept a lot. Every night. Like mortals. Certainly they must have known something, but decided to ignore the symptoms or were too dumb to realize…"

It was not Sesshomaru's turn to stand up, slowly walking around, looking thoughtful. Rin detected wisps of agitation. She herself was aggravated by the situation. So much that she couldn't help but her hit her own armrests in infuriation.

"I can't believe hundreds of men went on a mission in such a terrible condition, without even doing anything about it! Kami how could they feel the symptoms and not consult the healers?!", she exclaimed with anger.

Everyone looked at her.

The Lady Mother scoffed. "What is it Rin? Surprised that men would rather fail their mission than step over their pride?"

"This is not a topic for jokes, Sasori-sama! It was so idiotic of them!", exploded Rin.

The demoness blinked in slight surprise. "What has gotten into you, Rin?"

"Mother, Rin is a healer. Of course she would get infuriated by that", replied his son, matter-of-factly.

Hazel eyes frowned at him. "Sesshomaru, certainly you must think it is absurd! We could have avoided that!"

He looked away. "I know humans tend to be careful when their health is involved, but alas, demons, because of their natural strength, tend to be helpless when they are struck with any sort physical condition", he offered as an explanation.

Sasori narrowed her lemony eyes. "Maybe Rin is right. It is senseless that we cannot trust our own men to report any sign of incapacitation. We should check those who have accompanied you, but have not been assigned to that fatal mission. We should at least save those of remains…"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Yes."

"What shall we do my lord?", inquired Kireru worriedly. "Do we increase numbers of our next infantry?"

Sesshomaru took a deep breath. "Ten thousands is a significant loss. These…spells are preoccupying."

"We should send fresh warriors as soon as possible or else the blue plague might find the way to bring out more!", exclaimed Tatsumaki. "We must send men now."

"Yes we have to do something, or else…what are they gonna do to the villagers? Maybe they'll be cursed too!", panicked Nozomi.

"We need to be careful and quick", added Kireru. "How many men shall we send my lord? Should we try to fetch witches of the orient?"

Sesshomaru crossed his arms. "We shall not."

Everyone looked surprised.

"Pardon, my lord?", wondered Kireru.

Sesshomaru massaged his temples. "We need to be cautious. We already lost ten thousand men; I will not sacrifice others without having a flawless plan to annihilate these pests. "

"So what do we do now?", wondered the fox.

The demon lord took a while to answer. "We do nothing."

"What?!", exclaimed Tatsumaki.

"Nothing offensive until the morning at least", added Sesshomaru. "However, a part of those who were ready to leave for the Coast for patrols should be dispatched to defend the main domain's borders."

"The blue troops are still very far", replied Kireru, looking confused. "It would be surprising they reach us before many days, assuming we do nothing to push them back until then."

"I don't care", retorted Sesshomaru bluntly. "Protect the mainlands for now. We shall reunite tomorrow for further instructions. You are all dismissed.", he retorted dryly.

He did not even wait his vassals' bows before leaving the room. Rin's eyes widened. She rushed out of the room to catch up with him.

She slammed the door open even before a guard could open it for her. She was amazed by how far he was already…

"Sesshomaru!", she called loudly.

He did not answer. His pace was quick.

"Wait for me!", she added. "I must talk to you!"

She ran until she caught up with him and touched his shoulder. He flinched and threw her a look: with daggers in his amber eyes.

"Not now Rin", was his only answer.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him leave, wondering where the hell he was going all of a sudden…It was not the direction of his office, neither of their private quarters…

…

It was now late at night. Rin was standing awkwardly in the corridor leading to the sleeping chambers, clearly hesitant.

She had not seen Sesshomaru of the rest of the day…not even during dinner. He was simply unable to find for the biggest part of the evening. She had thought wiser not to seek him and had not searched seriously, considering how upset he had looked when he had stormed out of the study. She understood that this news of defeat was grave, especially with the situation regarding mages that had casted dangerous spells on his armies. His troops were equipped to fight the wildings, snakes, archers and their poisonous weapons. Never before did they have issues with mages and curses before.

Rin did not doubt that Sesshomaru wanted some time alone, trying to find a solution by himself (after all, most of the time he did take the most important decisions on his own). However, she had been surprised he had not even shown up at the study of the rest of the day. This is where he should have gone if it was his intention: this is where the most important books were…no where else could he do extensive research. Rin considered going there on her own, but since they were not even sure yet what was the curse that the warriors had been inflicted with (or if they were really cursed in the first place), she decided to postpone her investigations. It was not like she was very focused during that day anyway…

Rin had even considered retreating in her own chambers for the night, but it had been ages since she had done so. Besides, she needed to talk to Sesshomaru! She had been waiting all day long. They never had one moment alone since that morning. It was now late at night and she could see dim lights of the candles through the cracks of the door leading to his private quarters. He was there, that was obvious. She walked closer, silent like a thief… Many hours had passed since the meeting. Certainly he was going to be calmer…or not…Rin frowned and stopped right in front of the door. It might take him a while to get over that defeat. Maybe the time was not ripe to talk to him _yet_…

With all these musings, she didn't even notice he had opened the door, and was staring right at her, examining her hesitation.

"Are you going to stand in front of the door all night?"

Rin startled, like a child caught doing something bad. "Sesshomaru!" She bit her lower lip. "Is…is this a good time?", she inquired with reserve. "I can leave alone if you like…"

His features relaxed as he got away from the doorstep, silently inviting her in. "Why do you ask permission? These are your chambers as much as mine now…"

She smiled weakly as she got inside as she slid the door shut behind her. "Well, I know you value your solitude."

He looked away, and walked slowly towards his armchair. "About earlier…", he hesitated a moment.

"Don't worry about it.", she blurted out with a reassuring smile.

"I insist", he retorted. "I was harsh. You did not deserve this."

She shook her head. "No offense taken. We all have our bad days, and today is quite a terrible one from the realm."

He did not answer. He sat down in his seat and laid his head on his hand. He opened one boring-looking encyclopaedia, seemingly brooding. There was really something sinister about his expression. Irises may still be amber, but there was something dark about his gaze, probably as much as his thoughts. His shoulders were slanted. And his features betrayed exhaustion again! Why was that? He did sleep quite a lot last night…maybe it hadn't been enough?

Rin tried not to display any reaction as she noticed an empty tokkuri of sake on the table next to his chair.

Something was wrong about him. Maybe it was not a good time after all…

Amber eyes focused on her for a brief moment. "I believe you mentioned you had to talk to me earlier, have you not?"

She gulped and nodded. One step after the other, she walked towards him and sat down, on the closest seat.

She licked her lips. "It's…it's about…"

Rin glanced up. He did not rush or prompt her. He simply waited with his composed, cool demeanour. He wasn't even looking at her. He was still reading, apparently. He seemed so distracted…

Rin licked her lips again, trying to anticipate his reaction. It was not the right time for this…Yet he had asked…

She took a light breath, her hazel eyes glued on him. "I didn't tell you how it went…", She wanted to curse. Her voice was trembling! "W-with…Lady Ko…"

He froze while he was turning a page. Amber eyes widened, and looked up at her, before regaining his cool. "I had completely forgotten about it", he stated, almost sounding detached.

Rin laughed nervously. "Of course you did…with all these…_bad news_…" She felt a knot in her throat and her eyes water, as sudden rush of emotion drowning all remaining rationality.

"So?", he prompted.

She did not answer. She looked down, hating that she was unable to control this sudden feel of panic from invading her mind…She was unable to speak…She was completely mute.

"Rin. "

She saw his shadow loom over her for a brief moment, and then he kneeled next to her. She felt his warm hand grab her cheek, her watery eyes meeting his piercing ones. They stared at each other.

She knew she didn't need to speak. Her glassy eyes were opened so wide she knew he could read her like an open book. Both his eyebrows slowly rose up in astonishment.

"Gods", he whispered.

It was the first time she had heard him use a pious word.

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against him. She let the hot tears roll down her face. The tickling feel of her limbs stressed from a day of silence started to subside. She could feel her heart starting to slow down. At last…

"Are you not pleased?", he inquired in a whisper to her ear.

"I don't know!", she blurted out with a shaky breath. She looked up at him: fear plain on her features. "With all the deaths and the chaos on the coast…the timing looks so…_bad_…"

She examined his gentle expression in search for answers.

"The moment is not the greatest", he admitted, stern.

She started sobbing and looked away.

"…but it matters not", he added hurriedly, brushing away the new wave tears. He held her again in his arms. "It matters not…", he replied in a whisper, like a soothing prayer.

"There were human hating libels on the high walls of the coast!", she replied with fright. "And you just lost thousands of men to Amane's army. She hates us, what we represent…"

He broke the embrace and laid a finger on her lips, features sullen. "Do not say that cursed name. This conversation is not about her." He looked tense. "The context is trivial. This is still very good news…don't you think?"

She blinked. "So…you are happy?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Rin is that even a question?"

"Yes!", she exclaimed with a worried frown.

She just wanted him to answer already. She had been waiting to see his reaction all day long!

His features softened, smiling with his eyes. "In all honesty, I never thought you could succeed lighting such a dark day."

She let more tears fall. "Oh thank the Kamis, you are happy!"

"What were you thinking I wonder?", he inquired, with slight derision. "That I would take my true form and call the child to be a half-breed?"

Her features contorted with hostility "Don't say that word!"

He almost startled. "It was meant to be humour, Rin", he retorted defensively.

"A failed attempt", she retorted mimicking his perfect elocution.

"Hmph." He caressed her back soothingly. "… Forgive me. From now on, I promise to ban that word from my mouth."

She giggled slightly. "Oh please don't take me so seriously! I am a little tense, I think…"

She laid her forehead on his shoulder, savouring her renewed piece of mind.

"You did not answer my question", he reminded in a whisper, while caressing her hair. "Does the news please you?"

She broke the embrace, while wiping a tear, smile widening on her lips as a wave of warmness gushed her heart. She nodded. "Y-yes!"

He smiled with his lips this time. "Then I can assume you are not truly sorrowful?"

She giggled nervously, while a few tears escaped from her eyes. "I-I'm just so overwhelmed! I am not sure I can explain it. I just…have all these waves of weird emotions. I wish it would only be happiness and nothing else, but but…"

He brushed away strands damp with tears from her face. "Sometimes feelings are just too raw to be described with words…"

She nodded, silently thankful; and cursing all these reactions she did not understand quite well…She did not recognize herself these days…

"Come here", he whispered, bringing her back in his arms, holding her tight.

She did not protest. Oh Kami his embrace felt so good! She had been restless all day, and he had just lifted off the dread: making her feel safe, even though the situation was so…uncertain…

He stood up and gave her his hand. "Would you like to walk with me?"

She smiled and nodded, and they went outside, retreating away silently from prying ears and eyes, and sat under the lilac tree, even though the flowers were gone: his back against the trunk as she laid down in the grass, head lying on his thigh. Rin stared at the leaves nostalgically, feeling as if the hide-and-seek game was only yesterday…

"I thought I would not have been pregnant, because of the moon tea", she continued. "It is as if it never even worked…I did take this thing everyday."

He darted knowing eyes down at her. "We made love for the first time shortly after you had woken up from your poison intoxication. Did you really take this thing while you were recovering?"

Her eyes widened. No she hadn't, of course. How come she had not thought of that?!

"Kami!", she whispered.

She looked up at him and noticed slight smugness on his features.

"Okay now I feel really stupid", she mumbled with annoyance.

He returned to his usual stoic mask. "Don't. You cannot think about everything."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "I do not think about everything? What…you knew all this time and did not tell me?!"

"I did not think that much about it either…", he replied a bit defensively. "However, how children are made is not exactly a mystery. It was obviously only a matter of time."

"Because no concoction can stop you is that it?", she blurted out with cocky smile.

He repressed a smirk and deemed better not to reply to that.

She sighed and then smiled, with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Can you believe it? We are going to have a little…_us_…"

His features relaxed. He caressed one of her cheeks tenderly with his thumb "I cannot wait for you to show your first signs of maternity."

She smiled at that. "What? You have a thing for women with baby bumps now?"

He gave one piercing glance. "It is only your shapes I care for. You will be beautiful."

She let out a healthy blush and a giggle, before getting back to seriousness. "I am still a little scared though…"

"Of motherhood?"

She frowned and played with one of her longer stands of her hair. "Not so much actually…I fear that a hanyou heir might anger your subjects who have sided with Amane."

He took her hand. "Do not trouble yourself pointlessly. All these matters will be dealt with."

"How?"

He paused a moment, seemingly pensive. He admired the starry night. It was one, dark moonless night…only the distant stars enlightened them…

"Do you remember the painting my mother showed you? The one with my father and I…and the waves."

Rin nodded with a sweet smile. "I do. It was one of my favourite. Why?"

He displayed slight hesitation before speaking his mind…"I was only a child back then. Young and impressionable. It was the beginning of the year of the typhoon. I had never experienced any of these storms before."

"I guess this was not the most peaceful initiation", observed Rin with a slight smile.

"Indeed…The priests had not predicted the dreadful tempests and it took us by surprise. We had just left for a secondary castle close to the sea. As the dark clouds covered the sky, that the wind blew violently and that the air grew heavy, I started having nightmares…"

"You were scared?"

Sesshomaru opened his mouth slightly, but closed it, before breaking the silence. "Between the storms, the rain sometimes ceased. However, the wind never stopped. It was powerful, so much it got in through every little fissures of the castle, whistling like a boiling teapot day and night. It was maddening. There was also this…gigantic weeping willow close to the window of my chambers. Its branches wouldn't stop slapping against it at night. Not only that, but the light of the moon through that tree being blown by the wind…did…let's say…fire up my childish imagination…"

She giggled slightly. "I know right! Those big trees are the worst! The moonlight and shadow of their branches making monster-like forms on the walls at night."

He nodded in silent acknowledgement. She grinned and clapped her hands in glee. "Oh I just knew you behaved like a real kid during some part of your childhood!"

He darted a sideways glance. "I did not know how to control fear at such a young age…", he replied with quiet defensiveness.

She smiled reassuringly. "Exactly, and that's perfectly fine! Children imagine these things all the time!"

He looked back at the stars. "My father showed up one of these nights…when I was doing a hubbub instead of sleeping. He actually said something that helped me manage irrational fears for the rest of my life."

"What did he say?"

Sesshomaru frowned. "Something ridiculous. In the lines of: son, you see the shadows of a sad weeping tree on the walls, but I only see a merry willow…"

Rin's eyes took a round shape. "Merry?"

Sesshomaru looked a bit annoyed. "Well…He said that the branches were moving because the tree was dancing and all…"

Rin exploded in laughter.

He tried to remain serious. That sounded even more absurd coming out of his mouth…"He made me understand that each individual as its own ways to react to hardships. It is all a matter of perception, and though we have no full control on the outcomes of life, we can change our ways of thinking about them. For instance, with all these subjects rebelling, and blue armies troubling the coast, we can perceive a threat, but we can see it as an opportunity as well. Once these foes will all be wiped out, a grand episode of peaceful reign will follow. With Amane chased away and the rebels subdued, who will be left to contest our reign and whatever agenda we see fit for the realm?"

Rin scratched her chin. "I did not think of all these troubles this way…But now that you mention it, if we do find a way to defeat them, - and I am sure we will- …with your lands already being called a realm…you will be very respected."

"Not just me. You as well…", Sesshomaru looked down at her lovingly, brushing a few strands to have a better look at her. "And the little one too…"

Rin smiled and closed her eyes in glee.

Little one!

She had the feeling that they will turn gaga often when they speak of the _little one_. Silly enthusiastic smiles on their face whenever that the baby will come to the topic, like Miroku and Sango before them (many times), Kagome and (surprisingly) Inu-Yasha.

"Your father was kind to give you such a thoughtful lesson when you were scared…"

Sesshomaru looked back at the stars. "He did say wise things...occasionally."

After a brief moment of silence, she couldn't help but ask. "…What happened between you two?"

"You know already", he answered elusively.

She sat up in the grass to look at him more directly. "You and your mother did not tell the entire story. You said the boy you killed in training was your friend? Certainly you must have had a good reason…", she insisted while holding his upper arm in a prompting manner.

Sesshomaru did not answer.

Rin crossed her arms "Why do you not trust me enough to tell?"

He sighed with slight frustration. "That secret is not mine to reveal", he mumbled.

She gasped. "So there IS something more to this story!"

He remained stoic. "Rin, I cannot tell."

She frowned sheepishly. "Why? What do you have to lose? From what I have heard, you have been seriously blamed because of this incident. That also strained your relation with your father. What could possibly worsen the situation?"

He replied with a piercing sideways glance. "You have every right to be bothered by that tale. However, there are ears everywhere and I have no right to voice this. The only one who can take such risk is my mother. This is her you should seek if you want to know so much."

…End of chapter…

A/N: Though it did turn out (much) more positive than I had anticipated, it was important for me not to make their reaction 100% positive, more visible in Rin's POV in this scene. I am just tired of all the clichés about the very excited parents we see everywhere in magazines and on TV, especially the future moms, all glowing and beautiful in the media.

I may not be a mother…and I suppose that actual moms reading have the right to shoot me rotten fruits if they think I am wrong…I am expressing my personal views here…but from what I've seen, even when the future child is expected, no future mother is blissful all the time. And not all of them will scream with joy when they find out about their pregnancy (many of them are scared as shit, in fact). Motherhood is stressful and a permanent life changing event, not always occurring in the best moments, and it often comes with a lot of anxiety and questioning. Anyway, that's my two cents. I know many readers couldn't wait for a pregnancy to actually pop out in this story. That being said, you cannot expect rainbows and confetti when I am on that topic…sorry…

Well some reviews would be nice…


	28. Ugly Truth

A/N: Yup, it has been a while but I am back. I was away abroad for three weeks and now my batteries are charged. Ready to continue this!

Here it goes…

Chapter 28 : Ugly Truth

Jaken walked swiftly through the corridor with self-satisfaction on his features.

After he was done with some errands for the Lady Mother earlier, a few messengers had given him the reports Lord Sesshomaru had eagerly been waiting for about the most recent battles from his troops. The foolish messengers had been unable to find the Lord inside the castle, and as each time that happened, they –of course– relied on his most trusted and reliable servant to find him.

Obviously, that pleased the little toad. With the vassals and servants getting more and more numerous as years passed by, he often felt as if his usefulness was questioned. He had been Lord Sesshomaru's right hand for a very long time, but now he was surrounded with other councillors and warriors, most of them younger than the toad, and some smarter (alas, he was very well aware of that fact, though there were not so many of them…). That didn't change anything to Sesshomaru's trust, Jaken was certain of that.

Only Rin may have surpassed him in terms of trust, solely on the personal level, that is. She was still such a young girl…No way Lord Sesshomaru could give her much credibility in strategic matters. And the fact that these messengers had given him the official reports of the Western troop's progression was the evident proof! In terms of reliability, he was unbeatable!

Jaken swelled his chest in pride as he walked outside, to reach the Lord's private gardens…one of his favourite spot when he was simply too pensive to bother with his subjects.

The toad examined his master with slight surprise as he approached, thinking it must be the first time he caught Lord Sesshomaru biting the claw of his thumb. That made him look a bit less…lordly and flawless than usual. It was an odd sight. The Lord never displayed such evident signs of unrest. That either meant that the messages Jaken was about the deliver could soothe his agitation…

…or worsen it, which could certainly shorten his lifespan even more!

Sesshomaru swiftly stopped biting his nails almost shamefully, his amber eyes narrowing slightly, seemingly in annoyance, as he looked back at Jaken, who gulped in fright.

He bowed. "Ahem my lord…"

"Quit the time-wasting honorifics Jaken. Nobody's here anyway", retorted Sesshomaru dryly.

Jaken raised his head. "My lord?", he wondered out loud, unbelieving.

He could feel his eyes getting teary. Never before had his master given him permission to address him as a hierarchic equal!

"State your business", continued Sesshomaru with clear impatience.

Jaken scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. "Ah yes my lord…I had almost forgotten. We have received the casualties report of our two most recent battles", the toad informed as he held out the papers.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, snatched them from the toad's hands without further response and broke the seals.

Jaken watched in admiration as his master read. Nobody could go through these sorts of arid documents as quick as him. So brilliant he is!

His master's hard expression softened as he finished reading and handed the papers back to Jaken.

"So…are these news better than the last we have received?", inquired the toad.

The inuyoukai looked back at the castle and walked towards it, leaving his servant in a very perplexed state.

"My lord! Please honour me with an answer!"  
He was answered with a rock between the eyes.

"I thought you could read Jaken", commented Sesshomaru with a sideways glance. "The wind has turned again. See by yourself."

…

Rin pulled nervously on the tight collar of her kimono. She tried very hard to ignore the acidity in her belly making her feel unwell. She was also unbelievably hot (the thick fabric of her wide clothes not helping at all). Quite frankly, she fantasized of just bathing in a freezing river with herbal tea to soothe her stomach, but now was not the time for such frivolity. She had one task to accomplish, one that –strangely– very few people in this castle seemed to take seriously.

Rin frowned at the female scribes in front of her. She could feel anger boiling in her veins. All these women were reading the list of instructions she had just written as if it was only a bunch of idiocies. She felt uneasy. She was very aware that her writing skills were not that great, but it was not as if she could do anything about it. It was not an official report anyway, just a list of…tasks…

Why did they have to stare at her and back at the paper like that?!

Rin fantasized that she could somehow take a demon form and chase them down like pathetic little ants. That would serve them a lesson. Alas, carrying a hanyou child brought many symptoms, but transforming into a blood-thirsty gigantic creature was not among them.

…Not literally anyway…

One of them finally cleared her throat. "This is not usual procedure Lady Rin."

Hazel eyes blinked. "What is the matter? I am only asking you to compare the symptoms reported by the ill soldiers to the conditions described in tome I and tome II of the arcane magic encyclopaedia. I believe that these information could prove useful to Lord Sesshomaru."

One of them shook her head. "I am afraid it is not part of our responsibilities."

Rin's features turned into a scowl. Oh she felt so irritated! Oh she so felt like taking a demon form to eat them all…Rin blinked…yes, she did feel hungry all of a sudden…

She sighed instead.

"How is that not part of your tasks? I've seen you perform many researches for Lord Sesshomaru."

"Exactly. We are from the private research team assisting the Lord and the Lady of the West –exclusively–", specified the same scribe.

Rin repressed the urge to jump on the little scribe for proper strangulation.

"What are these follies all about?"

The little scribes gulped as they recognized the Lady Mother, standing behind Rin, her lemony eyes dangerously narrow.

"My Lady!", they all exclaimed in unison, bowing.

"Were you just refusing to assist Lady Rin under the excuse that she is not officially bound by marriage with the Lord of the West?", the demoness inquired with irritation.

One of the scribes laughed nervously. "It is the first time that happens! Uh…may we…require clarification my Lady?"

Sasori scoffed and smiled all in hostility. "You truly wish to meet a premature ending, is that it?"

All of them gasped and bowed, apologizing profusely and confirmed that they would report to Lady Rin as swiftly as possible, and left the room hurriedly.

The Lady Mother watched Rin's fists shake from anger.

"Do not trouble yourself pointlessly. All of this is normal. I was poorly treated in my first years in the West too."

Rin nodded and tried to regain her composure. She truly felt over the edge, today…

"Do you think that research in these encyclopaedias will be useful, Sasori-sama?"

The inudemoness scoffed. "Maybe, maybe not, but I am affirmative that these girls had nothing else to do and need to learn obedience!"

Rin sighed sheepishly.

Sesshomaru's mother smiled reassuringly as she put down in front on the table a good-smelling bag.

"Look what I brought! Nashis and rice balls!"

"I am not hungry Sasori-sama…"

Not anymore anyway. How is it that her hunger seemed to be directly associated with anger? She could probably ask the question to the Lady Mother, but that was probably normal (and embarrassing to ask). Kagome did warn her that carrying a child with a demon blood makes very "messed up" pregnancies…

"You need to stay healthy…", the Lady Mother protested.

"I am sorry…maybe later", Rin replied with a polite smile.

"Hm. Fine…Tell me, do you know where is my son? I would have thought that he would be working during that time of the day…", wondered the Lady Mother with wisps of annoyance.

Rin looked down. "I haven't seen him since this morning."

The demoness scoffed non-heartedly. "Sleeping again, I assume?"

Rin felt her lips tighten. She looked away, feeling heavy knots in her stomach. "Sasori-sama…do you…" She sighed. "Do you know what is wrong with him?"

Sasori stared at the human woman severely. "I was going to ask you the same question..."

Rin crossed her arms worriedly. "I believe…that he might have been cursed during our previous fight on the Western coast…"

"Yes, something of the sort has to be expected…Certainly he must be aware of his abnormal condition?"

"He changes the subject each time I bring up his fatigue! I do not know what to do!"

The Lady Mother looked out of the window with a pensive frown. "He will have to be examined."

"I know! He was supposed to go, but now he has apparently decided that this is a waste of time!", retorted Rin with annoyance. "I swear if he keeps procrastinating, I will ask Lady Ko to examine him while he sleeps!"

The Lady Mother held her chin pensively. "Hmmm…"

Rin had just given her an idea!

Sasori nodded. "In the meantime, there is always…this…" She removed her intricate pendant and handed it to Rin.

"This is the meido stone. It has many virtues. It has already revived you once."

Rin had heard the tale…She looked the pendant with awe, and dared not to take it…Its purple gem drawing every bit of her attention. She looked away. "I am not a miko, Sasori-sama. I wouldn't know what to do with it."

Sasori shook her head. "It matters not, what you are. This mystical jewel feeds off the sentiment of the living beings around it and has immediate impact on the stamina of its wielder…or on the stamina of those that occupy its wielder's thoughts."

"How intriguing…so it can have many impacts?"

"Of life and death, yes. But the sentiments have to be sincere and intense for its power to be unleashed. This is why I removed it and placed it on you to bring you back from the underworld when you were still a little child. You see…the little toad had just told me that your death must have plunged my son in terrible sorrow. I guessed that if the little demon said true, the stone might convert that sadness into enough vital energy for your soul to get back to you. And this is exactly what happened."

Rin's eyes widened as she stared back at the pendant. "Oh…"

Citrine-coloured eyes narrowed. "I had felt some growing heaviness lingering around me at that moment, but never would I have guessed it was due to my son's sorrow." Sasori smiled playfully. "You must thank the little toad for bringing that up. It is certainly not Sesshomaru who would have made such a confession about a little mortal girl that I had mistaken for his breakfast!" The Lady Mother retrieved her seriousness. "This jewel is meant to be worn by the Lady of the West, as a mean to protect herself and those she cares for. You may not be the Lady yet, but your kindliness makes me believe this jewel has much more potential in your hands than in mine. I suppose you could put the pendant on my son's chest while he sleeps, and pray hard for his well being. Surely that will aid him somehow. Just make sure he doesn't know."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Would that ruin the spell?"

"No. But I am sure that he will be mad if he knows we've been discussing his health in his back. You know how proud he is, do you?"

The human grinned and nodded and she stretched her arm to take the pendant. "Thank you Sasori-sama. I will do my best!"

The Lady Mother narrowed her eyes suspiciously and snatched the jewel away from Rin's grasp. "I am not done girl!"

Hazel eyes widened.

"You must be warned that this stone is very powerful and can have very unpredictable impacts if you have a tainted heart. In order for me to entrust it to you, you must swear that you will only use it for the good of my son, your offspring or the Western Lands. You must not use it for own personal agenda…ever."

Rin frowned. "If everything you say is true, this artefact may as well be as powerful as the Shikon jewel was. I would never abuse of such a power. I swear I will use it only the protect the interests of the Western legacy."

The Lady Mother's features softened. She nodded. "Fine. Take it."

Rin let Sasori put it on. She took the pendant into her hands and examined it, it was not surprising that this stone felt so heavy, it was huge! No way she was going to wear this everyday like the Lady Mother…

"Make a better use of it than I", the demoness whispered.

Rin tilted her head to the side. "Pardon, my lady?"

Sasori blinked and shook her head. "Nothing. Go now. Maybe you should check on these scribes. These arrogant brats sometimes snooze around."

Rin blinked, sensing the Lady Mother's sudden dark mood.

"Why do you say that you have not used it wisely?", Rin insisted calmly.

The demoness sighed in lassitude. She sure wished that Rin wouldn't have heard. She knew how her son's mate could be persistent sometimes.

"Nothing you should be worried about. For a cold woman as I, such a stone is a true burden. "

" How can such a mystical gem be a burden? I am curious", prompted Rin.

Sasori scoffed and looked away. "There is nothing more to say little Rin, I told you! Go now…"

"If there are risks with this stone, don't you think I should be properly informed?", pursued Rin with a frown.

The Lady Mother did not answer.

Rin touched Sasori's shoulders. That startled the demoness.

Hazel eyes were pleading. "Why do you people have to keep secrets all the time? This is my family too now!"

The Lady Mother examined her very intensely for a long moment. "Are you implying that Sesshomaru keeps things away from you?"

Rin crossed her arms. "Surely you know! You two are the same! Last time I asked him something he did not like to talk about; he said that I should ask you instead. And now that I ask you something, you just try to shoo me away! How the hell am I supposed to be useful if you two keep pushing me away when something personal is involved?"

Sasori blinked.

She sighed and walked away, to look out of the window. Maybe Rin was right, maybe it was time for her to get rid of the entire burden.

"I suppose that this discussion your refer to was about the sensei and the dragon boy?"

"Well yes! And now there is this thing with the stone too!"

Sasori glanced back at Rin with a stern expression. "Rin if that may reassure you, there is not that much secrecy to know about. These two secrets you refer to are part of the same story."

Rin looked surprised. "Sesshomaru's killings and the meido stone?"

The Lady Mother nodded. "Tell me Rin…Has my son ever talked to you about his motives?"

Rin shook her head. "He says that he cannot talk about it."

Sasori scoffed darkly. "That's because he had no motives of his own!"

Rin blinked. "Wh-what?"

Sasori stopped herself for a moment, trying fight off that unpleasant feel in her throat preventing her to be as detached as she should.

_Surely Rin will not do the same mistake as me, yet, she should probably know anyway... That stone can be risky._

The Lady Mother sighed.

_Here it goes…_

"Once, long ago, I had suspected a certain sensei of being part of mutiny. I had heard that he was plotting about murdering my son."

Rin gasped. "Really?"

"It would have been so easy for him…he was teaching combat to young Sesshomaru with minimal supervision every morning", remembered Sasori with pensiveness, quickly switching to bitterness. "However, Inu Taisho denied my request to insure proper surveillance under the pretence that the sensei was an old friend of his and that he should be trusted" Sasori frowned. "That sensei was always giving me self satisfied smirks when we met in the corridors. He had every fibre of the ill intentioned!"

"You were afraid for Sesshomaru", Rin continued in a whisper.

Sasori nodded. "I was angry and afraid. My feelings were dark" She looked down. "Only once…"

She stopped talking.

Rin tried not to be distracted with the trembling in the Lady Mother's voice. She had never seen her looking so vulnerable…

"Once…As I held nervously the meido stone, I wished for that sensei to disappear. Minutes later, my son was overwhelmed by an extreme fit of rage, which was very unlike him, and lashed out on the sensei. He has shown a strength no demon of his age could realistically possess… The little dragon boy that was in training with him tried to stop Sesshomaru, he shouldn't have done that. Before anyone could do anything, our little lord-to-be had succeeded committing gruesome acts, all the while calling the sensei traitor, even though there was no way Sesshomaru could have heard anything about that scheme about killing him. It was as if he has read my thoughts somehow…"

Rin took a deep breath, trying to take that in. "Could it be that…"

"This was the pendant's doing", Sasori finished. " I had wished for the sensei to be dead while holding the stone, during Sesshomaru's training. He was standing in front of the sensei when that happened. The stone must have used my son's soul as its tool to grace my wish, because my fear and hatred were too raw to be ignored."

"Kami…"

"My son instantly confessed being the murderer, and has shown no remorse. He had been so convinced of the justness of his actions." Sasori shook her head in aggravation. "So dejected he was, when further investigations had proven that the sensei was as white as snow…It seemed that someone else in this castle hated that sensei very much and tried to have him killed…"

Rin shook her head in desolation. "It must have been so hard on you all…"

Sasori felt her claws pierce the flesh of her hands, but Rin did not seem to notice the red drops on the floor. "I think my worse mistake is not even the accidental death wish on the stone. The worse was that I did not speak about it during the investigations. I was afraid. Because of my origins, I was the source of a lot of hatred among the subjects and I feared the consequences of taking all the blame. I only foolishly tried to defend Sesshomaru. I talked about his weak mind. He had a weak mind after all. He was just a child! And I had never wanted him to do that in the first place! Many thought that my talks were suspicious and soon enough, there were rumours that I had talked my son into doing it. That aroused doubts in Inu Taisho, who has then sent our son away from the castle, for punishment and discipline, and as a mean of protection…"

"Protection? Shouldn't his parents be the one to insure his protection?", wondered Rin with a frown.

Sasori shook her head quickly. She started to feel her eyes burn. "It was a mean for protection. Yes. He said that it was because our son's discipline was beyond our controll and that he should be confided to experts, but I very well guessed the truth! He wanted to protect Sesshomaru from his own mother! That was the undisclosed reason. I always knew…"

She brushed the tear before it could fall.

Rin looked at the Lady Mother apologetically. "Oh Sasori-sama, I am so sorry…"

Sasori shrugged off Rin's attempt for a hug and walked away slightly. "Way too late, I tried to explain to Inu Taisho that it was my fault, but he refused to believe me. He said that the meido stone that he had forged could never have such a dark power and accused me of lying only to get my son back. That fool! How could he be so sure of himself? He did not even know Sesshomaru! Had he known how much of a kind soul our son had been before this happened, he would not have blamed him like that!", she continued spitefully.

Rin played with a strand of hair nervously. It was sad how both Sasori and Inu Taisho had responsibilities in that story, yet they did not support each other…Had they worked together, Sesshomaru's fate might have been very different…

"What angers me the most is that Sesshomaru got out of this damned military school being expert at killing and hiding every trace of vulnerability, dreaming about weapons, fighting, fighting and only fighting! Completely uninterested by actual ruling, he was only fanaticising about the battlefield. He was not like that before he left! He had a good heart! And he was dutiful! He would never have turned so hateful and obsessed with personal power, had we not abandoned him to warriors and sellswords! Inu Taisho did realize as his son grew up that this inane idea of sending him away had only worsened his behaviour, yet the Lord of the Western Lands was the only one who had not been judged negatively in this whole story. Both Sesshomaru and I only earned respect from the fear we inspired. We have been perceived for centuries as mad rulers. This only started to change when my son grew some sense of responsibility and even some kindness… after his encounter with a certain mortal girl that no one in the realm had seen but me and the little toad…later on, she came back as a maiden, and they started to sing about her…"

Rin felt her breathing hitch at that and cheeks reddening. Was Sasori saying that she was responsible for an improvement in Sesshomaru's behaviour and reputation?

Sasori smiled sadly. "I wanted my son to stop seeing himself as a warrior and nothing else. When Sesshomaru came of age, I told him the truth. And I begged forgiveness."

Rin's eyes widened. "Has he forgiven you?"

Sasori scoffed. "He refused my apology. He pretended that he would not carry any grudge, but for once, his emotions were clear enough on his face. I knew then that I had just lost his trust as well. And knowing the source of his own rashness did not made him feel at peace. He still remembers killing them. To Sesshomaru… it will forever feels like his doing, it has forever soiled his sense of moral and forever ruined his weak bonds with his father. He would have so loved that his father admired him…just this once…instead of looking at him with his judging eyes!" Sasori shook her head. "I know that Sesshomaru has never told the truth to anyone, even though he would have been in the right to throw me in a cell. Instead he kept protecting my honour, even though he felt grand contempt in my regards."

Rin smiled. "l think he cares about you more than you think."

That did not make the Lady Mother smile, not truly anyway, bitterness was all over her features. "It does not change the fact that this lapse of judgement has cost him his reputation, his freedom, his best friend, and his ability to befriend too..." The demoness sighed. "My poor relations with him truly sadden me. I have done everything I could to redeem myself. I even refused to give other children to Inu Taisho in order to ensure that he could not strip Sesshomaru of his birthright. But this didn't change the past. And Sesshomaru's way of treating me has somehow become the same as his father before him. I only wish he would have forgiven me for real...but how can he do so, if I can't even forgive myself?"

She looked out of the window. "I am hopeful. You have a good heart, little Rin. Much better than mine. I know that you will be capable of using the stone wisely. Sesshomaru may refuse my help all the time, but he loves you. I am sure that you can do something for him."

Rin smiled sadly. "Thank you for trusting me, Sasori-sama…with all of this…"

The demoness simply nodded and started to walk away.

"However, I think you are partly wrong", the human continued.

The Lady Mother looked back at her, curious.

"I think Sesshomaru really did mean it when he said that he did not hold any grudges."

Sasori scoffed.

"I am serious! I think that he acts kinder in your regards these days. In fact it has been a while since I have seen you both bickering. Did you have some serious talks or something?"

Sasori pouted and looked away, trying to conceal her embarrassment. "N-not really. I did not notice that he despises me less either…"

Rin shook her head and repressed a smile. "Don't you think that it is time to show a little kindness to yourself? I am sure everything would be easier if you let go of that past and forgave yourself."

In the end, it was Rin who left the room first. Sasori pondering about what she had just heard…Kindness to herself? She was pretty sure that Rin did not mean that she should be self-negligent. Yet, how can someone be "self-kind" and as flawless as possible all at once? Was it truly possible to achieve both?

Maybe that Rin was just telling her to slack off. Sesshomaru had already told her that, several times. That must be Rin's influence as well…

Such odd human notions…

…

The rain was tapping against the wide windows of the Lord of the Western Land's private chambers again. It was always pouring these days. It was truly a curse. But it was not what disturbed Sesshomaru the most.

Amber eyes watched Rin, as she read the Tales of the Heike with the candlelight, from the bed, that is. He was happy to see that she had finally started reading that book and seemed to enjoy it. However, he was not used to having someone reading from his bed. Most importantly, he was not used to have Rin outpace him in terms of waking hours.

"What chapter are you at?"

Rin looked back at him and smiled quietly. "Chapter 10. The epic fight."

He shrugged slightly. "Which one? That book is only about epic fights"

Rin giggled and feigned indignation. "You just blew me the rest of the book!"

"Hmph."

She frowned. "I can go elsewhere, if I am preventing you to rest."

He took a while to answer. "Don't worry about it. I will just…turn around…"

Rin frowned slightly. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yes…Good night…dearest."

Her features softened. She caressed his back affectionately. "Thank you. Sleep well…love…"

She gave one discreet sideways glance as she heard his breathing deepen.

…

The blade whistled almost melodiously, before landing on the man's jugular. Blood splattered on Tenmaru's clothes, his own breath interrupted by his own bewilderment and shock.

There was blood everywhere, and it was not his!

He glanced with widened eyes at the weapon of conviction, that he was still firmly holding, still trying to process how the hell he had succeeded killing that seasoned foe!

Just how many men had he killed today again?

The sounds of shouts coming from nearby brought him back to really. He disdainfully swiped the bloody blade on the dead corpse at his feet and he ran as fast as he could towards the exit that was just, at the end…of the corridor.

His demonic senses caught something. His eyes widened.

He titled his head forward just in time to avoid a wind of arrows and kept running. He couldn't give up now…He had to get out of this hell damned place and to prove to all these folks taking him for just a court jester that he was worthy of respect…and not just because of his lineage.

"Fuck."

He couldn't believe he started to have these sorts of silly honourable urges and whatnot. He took note that even after his return to the Western Castle, he should stay away from Sesshomaru for a while.

As it turns out, Tenmaru was apparently a fast runner. At least that is what he realized as he saw the figures behind him getting smaller and smaller. He silently envied Sesshomaru and his ability to fly as he please, or just turn into this freekin' ball of light and get away just like that. Why was it that it was only him that got the coolest tricks again?!

He felt hair suddenly rise at the nape of his neck, however, by the time he realized why…

He quickly glanced right and left and then...

"AAAH!"

A wave of blue light struck him, the burning sensation on his limbs nothing very pleasant. Tenmaru stood painfully on one knee, trying to catch his breath and get over the pain.

Then he sensed the attacker, and before he could stop it, a growl erupted from the back of his throat. His displeasure was great…

Of all the people…WHY it had to be…

The inuyoukai smirked darkly. "Well well, look who we've got here! General Deceiver in person!"

Kazuo stood in front of his foe, stare hard as steel. He raised his sword defiantly. "Tenmaru, I didn't expect you to be resourceful enough to even think of an escape plan…"

"Looks like this bastard possess as much shit in his brain than in his mouth!"

Icy blue eyes narrowed defiantly. "The tongue is the weapon of the wimps. Draw this sword and let's get this over with"

Tenmaru scoffed and he stood up. "What are you doing here anyway? Am I that valuable to you?"

"Alas, I am afraid so."

The inuyoukai raised a daring eyebrow. "Funny, I thought it was Rin you had a thing for."

Kazuo scoffed back. "It makes us even, then."

Tenmaru crossed his arms. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Says the one who accuse me of lying."

"You did lie! You betrayed us!", Tenmaru retorted while pointing an accusing finger.

Kazuo shook his head before he could blurt out that it was more complicated than that.

_I never had a choice in the first place…_

"Draw your sword Tenmaru, if you value your life…"

The inudemon spat on the ground. "Cut the crap, Kazuo! If you guys had wanted to kill me in the first place, you would have done it already!"

Kazuo nodded. "You are considered precious leverage, but that doesn't mean that Amane had nothing sadistic in mind for you…in fact, if you have no intention of fighting, it would be less gruesome for you if you just killed yourself right now!"

Tenmaru repressed a gulp and raised his sword. He did not like the sound of this. In fact, he liked nothing of the present situation. He was weakened by the lack of proper rest and all the fights before that one. Not only was Kazuo a way more experienced warrior, but he was also in a much better physical shape at the moment! That gave him very weak chances of actually winning…

Maybe he should just try to run away?

But for some reason, Tenmaru did not want that. Not in front of that scum anyway…

"If you touch me. Your beloved will be mad at you…", the inudemon threatened with a smirk.

The general sighed. "Why should I care what she thinks now? The strategy was to earn her trust to get at Lord Sesshomaru…"

"HA! So you admit it!"

Even blinded by hatred as he was, Tenmaru did not miss the gleam of sadness in the general's eyes.

Kazuo's gaze hardened as he looked back at him. "Are you ready now, master Tenmaru? I hope you are. From all the people I have met in that mission to the West, you are certainly one I wouldn't regret killing very much."

Tenmaru smirked. "So touching, I feel the same, actually…"

…

Sesshomaru opened his eyes slowly, feeling surprisingly rejuvenated. He frowned as he noticed that it was still dark. He slid discreetly out of the sheets and walked towards the balcony. The rain has ceased falling, only the melody of crickets now clothing the nightly silence…

His eyebrows went up almost instantly. Not only had he woken up before dawn, but he also noticed that none of his limbs made him suffer, as it was usually the case since a while. He bit the claw of his thumb. Of course, it was no secret to him why he had to go through these pains…

He silently opened the door of the balcony and slid it shut behind him, intent on enjoying the sunrise during one of the last warm night of summer.

Had Rin not decided a life with demons, it would have been about the moment that she would have left the Western Lands.

He wondered why he thought about that, all of sudden?

"Already awake?"

Sesshomaru was almost startled. He glanced back at Rin. She had caught his bad habit of walking around as silently as an assassin…

"You shouldn't be here", he stated.

"Don't you enjoy my company?", she wondered with a pout.

"Hmph…" he looked away. "You know it's not that. I just think that you need to rest as much as you can…"

"I bet Mister fear that I'll get cranky if I don't?"

He smiled with his eyes but did not speak.

She sat next to him and brushed a few lose strands from his face to have a better look at his sharp features.

He raised an eyebrow sceptically. "What are you looking at?"

"Was just checking how handsome you are", she replied while fluttering her eyelashes.

He repressed a smile. "You should know by now."

"Your level of handsomeness varies from day to day…"

"Oh? And how do I score today?"

She grinned. "Unbelievably handsome."

"Hmph", he looked away to stare back at the moon contently. "And that's higher than average I presume?"

She just grinned. "So much that I am unable to fight back your magnetism!"

The ghost of a smile spread on his lips. He gave her one quick glance before looking down. He touched her stomach and caressed it softly.

"It doesn't show yet", she announced. "It is way too early."

"I know", he replied gently, "Do you think that the little one could feel the touch, though?"

Her smile widened. "I honestly have no clue! However, I can certainly feel it."

"Does that bother you?"

"Nooo! Please don't stop!", she whispered while closing her eyes with glee.

"You are usually so ticklish from there..."

"Well not tonight", she whispered back, while lying against his shoulder. "I guess many things will change", she continued with what Sesshomaru deciphered as slight worry.

He caressed her hair soothingly. "Everything will be fine. It will all be over way before you give birth…"

"How do you know?"

"Certainly you have seen the last reports?"

"Yes."

"See? There was only one big loss. Since then, the rebels on the Northwest were pushed back, as were part of those marching towards the mainlands. I am confident the future confrontations will end up fine as well. We are in control now" , he whispered to her ear.

…

"AAAAAArrgg!"

Tenmaru squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to recover from the pain of a sledgehammer that had just smashed his hand violently. The pain was truly blinding, unbearable! Much worse than the little blue flames!

No worries…It was nothing. He was an inudemon, he was physically strong…His bones were not going to break!

His ass got kicked badly by the damned general, but that was predictable, as he had established before starting the fight…And now he was back in the same cell as before, and it seemed that they had suddenly judged it was not appropriate to postpone whatever sick plan they had in mind for him…There were guards all around him, some of them carrying not very reassuring-looking weapons…including that fucking sledge-hammer. The bastard doing it really seemed to enjoy it!

Kazuo was standing in front Tenmaru, chained-up and already severely injured from all his fighting and from the torture…that was only starting.

The general sighed with despair "Master Tenmaru, I insist. You must answer to our questions."

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I DON'T KNOW!"

"I will state the questions again. From where will be coming the next armies?"

"How the shit would I know? Certainly you're aware for how long I've been in that rat hole?!"  
The hammer smashed again. Tenmaru yelled in pain and cursed profusely. Kazuo shook his head.

This was a nightmare. Not only had he betrayed Lord Sesshomaru without even being aware of it, but Kazuo's own kind were also not so trusting of him since he had come back. Amane has taken a liking into making him do the worst jobs imaginable, including torturing many prisoners from the Western Lands...

But now he HAD to be sent at that particular prison, to interrogate THAT particular captive.

Kazuo took a deep breath. At least it wasn't other people he respected much more, like general Yuudai or Lady Miyah…

Or Rin…

"Certainly Lord Sesshomaru must have some usual strategies you could enlighten us with?"

"Well I don't know…haven't you been fighting our armies for months now? Certainly you must now!", whined Tenmaru.

"You must refer to the wildings. We have nothing to do with the wildings"

Tenmaru looked at Kazuo and smirked devilishly, which made the general frown suspiciously.

_Oh you fool! Please don't blow it in front of the other guards…don't say that I admitted all these excuses are pure lies!_

"A mere…memory lapse! Forgive me for that mistake…_general_…", Tenmaru replied sarcastically.

Now Kazuo was adamant to change the subject.

"So…nothing on strategy? Nothing at all that could spare you some pain?"

Tenmaru scoffed "Come on Kazuo, you know how shitty I am in tactics! Don't you remember? I am just some idiotic noble drinking sake, hitting on pretty court ladies…"

"You minimize many important facts, master Tenmaru", corrected a cold, misty feminine voice.

Both Tenmaru and Kazuo had to repress a startle of fright, as the sound of clicking okobos gave out that a woman was approaching. Lady Amane appeared out of the shadow, covered with a pristine cloak, her eyes cold and disdainful on the captive. Her sleeves and skirts were very long. She looked like a ghost.

Tenmaru felt a shiver run up his spine. As if she wasn't spooky enough…However…

He narrowed his eyes. Her looks were strange. Her arms especially. One sleeve looked fuller than the other…just like when Sesshomaru was…

He silently gasped.

General Kazuo bowed. "My Lady. You attendance was truly unnecessary."

"You are mistaken general. You are such an incompetent, I was told you have not succeeded making him spill any information!"

Before Kazuo could think of anything to say, she was facing Tenmaru again, who tried very hard not gulp.

He gulped.

_Damn it!_

"So when I have arrived, you were pretending that you are worthless in strategic matters, yet you were part of the army that defeated us in the Northwest. In fact, you did defeat Kazuo, as I recall", Amane added, while throwing daggers with her eyes to her half brother.

Tenmaru blinked and glanced at Kazuo.

It was almost imperceptible, but Tenmaru swore he saw Kazuo very, verrrrryyyy discreetly shake his head in disapproval.

Now Tenmaru started to be confused.

"Correct him"

Another hit with the sledgehammer. Tenmaru screamed. This time he was pretty sure a few bones had matters not…he was of the strong inu bloodline. It is said that inudemons are so awesome that they can recover instantly at will!

"Captive, answer!"

"Y-y-yeah…about Kuno", he stuttered. "I did defeat Kazuo…but I dunno, he seems good. I say he must have had the sun in his face when we were fighting or something…"

Amane shook her head impatiently. "What are you babbling about, captive?"

Tenmaru cleared his throat. "I am saying that my defeat against Kazuo was a case of pure luck. I am not exactly known to be an excellent fighter."

"Were you the one who conceived the strategy used on Kuno?", Amane continued with narrowed eyes.

_Oh shit…_

How the hell could he answer safely to that question? Why was it even relevant for Amane to know information about these past events anyway? Tenmaru had…participated…but the final strategy was in fact, very different than what he had suggested. In truth, it was mostly Kazuo and Sesshomaru who had thought about the smartest elements. Now that was a bother…it couldn't exactly tell her that…

Tenmaru saw the sledgehammer rise. He could feel the pain intensify even though the hammer had not hit yet.

"Speak!", barked Amane.

"Hatsuno!", he exclaimed. "It was during a meeting. Hatsuno was an old experienced fossile! Competent fossile I mean. Errr…Yeah, he is the one who was wise enough to suggest that ambush!"

Amane smiled earnestly. "Hatsuno? Baron Hatsuno you mean? The one that got beheaded?"

Tenmaru squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.

Amane's smile turned into a sardonic smirk. "You are on the Western Council, am I correct?"

"Hum…yeah…though as of late, I was in that cell."

The Empress of the Heartlands ignored his pathetic jesting. "Certainly you must have heard of the baron's reputation? Old…fossile like you said…incompetent…and you say such a plan would have been imagined by your most incompetent councillor?"

Tenmaru smiled sheepishly. "Well…we liked to mess around with old Hatsuno, but he was not that bad!"

Amane glanced back at him. "That's cute…blaming the dead to avoid spilling names."

The hammer hit again. This time no sound came out of Tenmaru's mouth. There was a heavy lump in his throat.

Amane laughed. "Ah this question was just to warm up." She glanced at the massacred hand. "By the way…I am not sure you will be able to use that again."

Tenmaru glanced at his feet and did not answer. This bitch was not going to see the water in his eyes.

"Next topic", continued Amane. "Succession. So basically, you have said earlier to Kazuo that Lord Sesshomaru has no heir he tries to hide, or any offspring on the way, is that correct?"

Tenmaru did not glance up. He decided to look the least as possible into that bitch's eyes. And he also had to avoid looking at his hand. He could only feel an unbelievable amount of pain, his nerves so exposed that even the drops of blood slipping off the tips of what was left of his fingers felt painful…

"Correct", he replied meekly.

Amane smiled. "I actually believe you on that one. Sesshomaru had the reputation to be very solitary in the bedroom for the past century. Some woman pretenders even started to believe Sesshomaru must have fallen in love with his own reflection…

Tenmaru would have snickered at that…had he not been trying hard not to cry from the pain.

"So what if Sesshomaru dies before we succeed taking over the West…Who would take over?"

"Lady Sasori", Tenmaru retorted without thinking.

Amane laughed. "Of course…The dead and now the old woman. I feel kind. You have one other chance Tenmaru. Who would take over?"

His jaw tightened.

Again, what was he supposed to answer to that? He did not even know the answer to that question!

He simply shrugged.

Amane displayed deception. "Is that all you've got?"

He glanced up and stared at her straight in the eyes. "What? Would you like me to invent? These are private matters only the Lord and Lady of the West know about!"

Amane smiled. "Would it be Sesshomaru's half breed brother?"

Tenmaru laughed.

He almost wanted to say yes to get this over with, but then again, that hanyou was Rin's friend and he assumed that it would get back to him if he ever said that.

"I don't think so. You've heard it from Rin's mouth. The half breed married a human woman and has almost mortal children."

Amane shrugged. "Then who?" She narrowed her eyes. "Would it be you?"

Tenmaru's eyes widened. Then he laughed harder than before, but he wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a cry.

"Me? I'm the court jester! Why would they use me as successor?"

"So you deny?"

"I assume that if I were heir, I would know", Tenmaru spat with a harsher tone than he had intended.

For some reason, Amane did not order to hit him. She seemed to be deep in thoughts. "I do believe you when you say that Sesshomaru would not choose his hanyou half brother who lives with humans. That half-breed would probably refuse the succession anyway, but then, that doesn't leave much other possibilities. If the hanyou is not the heir, it has to be you."

Tenmaru shook his head. "I told you! It doesn't make any sense! I am not even a skilled warrior! Even less a ruler!"

"You are on the council."

"I am there only because I know about the girl's gossips around the realm, nothing else!"

"You share his blood."

"Only partly! I am not even the highest vassal, hierarchically speaking!"

Amane blinked. "True. It was Baron Hatsuno. However, he is dead, and I am told his only living daughter has renounced to inheritance of her lands that are currently occupied by our troops."

Tenmaru's eyes widened. "L-Lady Takara? She did that?"

"Yes." Amane smiled again. "So…are you about to change your answers, master Tenmaru?"

He blinked. He tried to think hard about that question. That truly intrigued him. Could he ever be heir? That seemed crazy! But then again…

Nah…Rin was certainly pregnant by now. Her scent has changed so much lately! Unless Rin gets killed, but for some reason, Tenmaru found that possibility unlikely. They won't let anything happen to her.

Yes, most likely Rin's offspring would replace Sesshomaru if he were to die, and maybe the Lady Mother would take over for a while (or Rin after the Lady Mother dies, but that would be highly ironic and would probably cause an uproar so no…)

He shook his head and smiled back at the empress. "Sincerely. I wish I could blurt you a name, but the truth is, I have no clue. And let's say I truly was the heir, in a testimony somewhere without knowing. Let's say that you would slay me – because I am pretty sure this is what you were thinking about when you asked that question, kill all the heirs– don't you think they can't find anyone else?! There are many vassals and generals and nobles on the Western Lands…"

"Other dog demons?" inquired Amane.

"No", he replied without thinking.

Amane laughed. "What about your family Tenmaru? Are they not dog demons?"

Then the hammer smashed him in the ribs. He laughed and cursed all at once. "That's cheap! I thought you were talking about Inu Taisho's bloodline, not the moon tribe!"

"Do you have children? Any unofficial ones, or maybe one on the way?"

"No", he lied.

Amane did not seem to notice.

"But you have a wife now."

"I don't like her. It was just for appearance", he lied again.

"So you don't share your bed with her?"

"I don't fuck her", he lied again.

She did not react. At all.

Wow…Tenmaru started to feel confident about all his bullshitting…

"What a foolish answer! What would be the purpose of arranged marriage if it weren't to conceive heirs? ", spat Amane with spite. "You are full of lies!"

He did not find anything to answer. They smashed the hand again. He did not flinch. In fact, it started to feel less painful than before…

"I am growing tired. You seemed slightly less idiotic the last time we have met", Amane commented. "A few last questions. About bedding again." Amane took a deep breath. "What the hell is going on inside the Western Castle with humans?"

Tenmaru blinked, such in a state of shock and weakness because of the injury that he started to be a little confused.

"H-humans?", he blabbered. "What humans?"

Icy blue eyes narrowed. "You and the Lord of the Western lands have a soft spot for a mortal woman. The same mortal woman signed the treaty regarding the conquest of the Northwest. What is she exactly?"

For some reason, Tenmaru's eyes went to Kazuo, and noticed that all blood had left his face. And suddenly, Tenmaru had the impression he was not the first one to be asked that question.

He gulped. Whatever Kazuo had done, it was obvious now that he had not been as much of a foe as what he had pretended to be in front of his Heartlands buddies. Even though Tenmaru might have felt like blowing his cover (just for cheap vengeance), he knew that was not every smart move for his own safety, or Rin's…or Sesshomaru's…Maybe that this idiot could be useful if Tenmaru succeeded not blowing his cover…

"Answer convict", Amane insisted icily. "What is she?"

"She is not his wife", he blurted.

"Is she his lover? Or his mate maybe? I have heard rumours about that one…"

Tenmaru felt his blood freeze. Than some flash of genius struck him.

"You know what she is! She's just his ward!"

Lady Amane smirked. "Ward that he dances with…"

He gulped. "Sesshomaru is…very protective of her, but not the way you think. She is…like a daughter to him."

She blinked, as if not truly believing what he had just said. "But…the remarks you made at the dinner…"

"Were just to taunt him! I know he hates when men hit on his ward. He thinks she is too young to be bedded", Tenmaru improvised, gesticulating with his good hand for more credibility.

Lady Amane scoffed. "If he's so platonic in her regards why wouldn't he have told me when it was the time!?"

Tenmaru blinked.

_Just what did you say Sesshomaru? Certainly you did not tell Amane during the wedding that you were about to bang a human girl…_

He tried one last move, starting with a shrug. "You know what? Maybe you are better informed than I! I just know that he has saved this girl with Tenseiga long ago, and that it was the first thing he revived with his blade so he has developed some attachment to her, but to me it seems more like she is some sort of human pet, some weird project of his. Maybe he's curious about human's lifespan and shit. Sesshomaru is a bit of a bookworm, he is curious in uncanny ways sometimes, but I don't think that he used the girl for his needs."

Amane scratched her forehead in annoyance. Tenmaru gave one swift glance to Kazuo, who very (veryyyyyyyy) discreetly nodded to him in silent approval. Had he said the right thing? Tenmaru wanted to weep with joy.

Then Amane glanced back at him with frustration. "Sasori did not contradict me when I called her pet…but never used that word herself."

Tenmaru decided to add more flesh on the bones. He grinned. "That's because Rin IS a pet, but we simply don't call her that. She's sensitive and it makes her cry and all…and Sesshomaru hates when we upset her so we just call her ward. She does not sleep with the stray dogs after all, she had her own room and clothes and stuff, she is a bit more than a pet, but you know…barely…"

"You almost seem disdainful when you speak of her today, yet, you were hitting on the girl at your own wedding", added Amane while rising a sceptical eyebrow.

Tenmaru licked his lips. "Well…she is a pretty-looking pet, you have to give her that."

The empress narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "So you would say she is beddable."

Tenmaru's lips became a thin line. He was in dangerous waters.

Amane tapped her lower lip with her index finger in a pensive manner. "Now that I remember correctly, you did propose to the girl to become your lover, and you had discussed this with your wife…"

"We were just messing around!", he exclaimed indignantly.

Amane rolled her eyes. "You were eating her with your eyes all night. You find her beddable do not deny it!"

Tenmaru frowned. That was not a question. But he couldn't just…

But he did find Rin…

_No!_

"Nonsense!", he refuted.

"Too slow!", replied Amane boringly. She smiled at him. "I think we are done here. In fact, we were just toying with you, Tenmaru. This short chit-chat to you was not the prime reason of my visit."

Tenmaru shifted uncomfortably on the ground. "Wh-what?"

She snapped her fingers. Bother guards took him firmly, one of them holding him by the shoulders and the other one…

"AAAAAAHHH!"

…touching the wrist of the broken hand to put it right in front of his eyes.

Tenmaru hissed and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Look at it", ordered Amane with a low voice.

Tenmaru shook his head.

"LOOK AT IT!", she yelled.

He forced his eyes open and had to try hard not to barf, or cry…

"Take a good look because you both are about to say goodbye", added the empress.

He looked up at her. "Wh-…what?"

"Guards. The axe.", she stated.

The fear and the despair were so unbearable. His blood started to boil in madness "It's because you got your own hand slit during your fight with Sesshomaru, is that it?!", he spat madly.

She smiled sourly. "You do have good eyes", she complimented. "I think they will be next…Too bad, I think that they are of a pretty color, very rare for dog demons…but let's start with the first piece don't we?"

Tenmaru hissed as they slammed his broken hand on the cold stony wall. He quickly shook his head in denial.

"No-no…nooooOOOO!"

…

Jaken narrowed his bulging eyes as he watched the little incompetent scribes from afar.

One of them gasped, the one with black hair and too much feminine artifice on her face. "No way! Are you kidding me?!"

The yellow haired one nodded, and whispered something else to her companion's ear.

"Of course she is!", Jaken heard. "Haven't you noticed how she started to wear loose clothes all of a sudden?"

"So the Lord knocked her up?!"

The toad's eyes widened in shock. What were these girls talking about with that foul language?

"Silence you lazy harpies!", he exclaimed, startling them both. "Get back to work!", he snapped.

The pale haired one nodded with a slightly apologetic look, while the other one just looked at him with one of these arrogant pair of eyes. Jaken stared at the girl. He knew that Lord Sesshomaru did not like her very much either.

Jaken thought back about their pointless gossips. No way that Rin could be with child! Or could she? Lord Sesshomaru did imply a few times that he wouldn't mind at all if she bore his children. However, Jaken would never have thought that it would come so quickly…

His eyes narrowed…thinking back of when Rin had asked him what place she would have in an empire led by Lord Sesshomaru…when she was still just a little girl…

Never would he have thought that she would earn a position actually more important than his own!

The toad chased these foolish thoughts. Lord Sesshomaru was much less unpredictable and violent with him, since Rin had come back into their lives. It was actually a good thing that his master had gotten emotionally attached to a woman. Rin was witty and respectable after all, even though she was a mortal. She had much more decent manners than this demoness of the wind that had hit on his master a decade ago, or any of the rare ones that Jaken was aware his lord had led into his bed very long ago…

"Master Jaken!", exclaimed a third scribe, who had been seriously searching through the books Rin had requested them to check, without any need of interventions of him.

"What is it girl?"

"I think I might have found something!", she exclaimed.

He walked towards her, she turned the book and held it for him to read.

"Right there…it does match many of the men's symptoms, don't you think master?"

Jaken went swiftly through the page. He felt sweat drops form at the base of his forehead.

"Report this immediately."

…

The Lord of the Western Lands strolled swiftly through the corridors, while biting the claw of his thumb again. The most recent army that had left the main domain was back…much more quickly that he had anticipated. And general Qiang, one of his most trusted and experienced warrior, had requested a discussion in private with him and his mother in the study. He got his claw out of his mouth and watched it with disdain, and he tried not to grind his teeth instead. Urgent reunion requests were rarely a good omen, but it was not a reason to give off negativity to his subjects.

"SESSHOMARU!"

He almost flinched. Amber eyes glanced over his shoulder. Rin was running towards him, one book in hand and fright all over her features. He slowed his pace to let her catch up with him.

"What is it?", he inquired with all the neutrality that he could muster.

"We need to talk", she announced gravely.

He raised an eyebrow, concerned, then looked away. "I am in the middle of something, is it urgent?"

"I am afraid so", she whispered.

He glanced back at her. She caught his wrist before he could say anything else and brought him in the next turn of the corridor, in a corner…next to a window. The light was all on her features. He noticed then that it seemed as if she was about to cry.

He took a deep breath. He could not deny her; she was obviously in need. He touched her cheek tenderly.

"What is the matter?", he asked in a soft whisper.

Her eyes got glossier and glossier as she watched him. Only half of his face was lit by the daylight, it made him look gloomy. She looked away, upset. "I-I spoke with…Lady Ko…"

He frowned. "What about it? Is something wrong with the little…"

"Nothing to do with that", she snapped harshly. "I showed her this… and she didn't look surprised."

She gave him the book. His face darkened as soon as he spotted the book's title. She pointed him the lines.

Rin inspected his features. He didn't even read it entirely and glanced back at her, unblinking and emotionless.

She felt her limbs starting to tremble…She had her answer already…

"I can't believe this!", she whispered, angry tears rolling on her cheeks. "…When did you intended to tell me exactly?", she whispered with barely concealed wrath, her dark eyes shooting him daggers.

He blinked and looked down.

"What! You were not going to tell me at all?!", she snapped.

"I never said that. I…I…", he hesitated. "Did not want to worry you pointlessly."

"Pointlessly you say?!", she retorted. "How can this be pointless? This is much worse than a weakness curse Sesshomaru! How dare you find out about this and not even tell me about it!"

He frowned. "I never meant dishonesty. It was simply not the time, you were already overwhelmed with the other news."

"No reason can justify how you treat me!"

He started to lose his patience. "I've always treated you with the greatest care."

She huffed. "Yeah! So caring that you had to assume that I'm unable to bear the truth!"

"Well obviously you do not take it well", he retorted icily.

"What I take badly is the fact that you did not tell me!", she exclaimed.

"Rin, calm down."

That did not help. Oh he could see in her eyes that she was about to erupt…

"Sesshomaru…I am carrying your child! WHEN WILL YOU STOP TREATING ME LIKE ONE!", she exploded as angry tears fell from her face.

His eyes widened. How dare she speak of the child in public?!

"My lord!"

"WHAT", snapped both Rin and Sesshomaru at the same time, making the poor guard flinch.

"General Qiang and your mother are waiting for you", he explained, apologetic. "I think it is most urgent my lord"

"What is that? Another thing I am excluded of?", Rin spat rancorously, as she wiped her tears.

Sesshomaru glared at her and decided not to dignify that with an answer. "Let's go", he retorted, already walking away.

"What? I am invited this time?", she asked sarcastically.

"Well if you want more ugly truth spit into your face, be my guest", he retorted harshly.

"…You're not fair", she argued in a low voice.

He scoffed. "Not fair?! Look at yourself!", he exclaimed in an infuriated whisper between his teeth.

"Well yes I am a mess! Because of what I have just learned and the fact that you had to hide it from me! Stop presuming I am too sensitive to bear the truth!"

Now it was his time to erupt. "I found out just before you made your announcement. What was I supposed to tell you exactly!?", he inquired behind clenched teeth. "Oh great about the kid! Besides, I hope that you don't mind that I might _die_?!"

She hid her tears with her hand and looked away. "Don't…say that! We'll take care of you! We'll find a way…", she whispered between two sobs.

He felt his own stomach twitch at the sight of her pain, heavy remorse calming him down. He did not want to upset her further.

"I suppose…that I should not have said that…", he whispered regretfully.

She did not answer.

Soon enough they were in front of the study. The guards opened the doors for them. As soon as that was done Sesshomaru smelled death.

"R-Rin…"

She looked back at him, oblivious to the general's and the Lady Mother's grave features.

Sesshomaru's jaw tensed. "Maybe you shouldn't. "

She frowned seriously and looked back in front of her.

The Lady Mother threw her a sinister look. "He meant that what you are about to witness is not pretty Rin. Are you sure you can bear this, considering your condition?"

"If I am to take your place someday, I have to bear the same burden as you, Sasori-sama", she replied with determination.

General Qiang stood up and bowed. "My Lord..."

"General…you bring dark news I suppose…", Sesshomaru finished.

Qiang nodded apologetically. "After receiving this, I took this initiative of deploying the troops back to the mainlands immediately.

There was a small chest on the table. Sesshomaru was not sure he actually wanted to open it. He nodded with resignation and opened it.

First thing was Rin's gasp. And then the stench came...

"Oh KAMI! WHAT IS THIS!?"

Sesshomaru recognized the markings on the severed wrist. He looked at the broken fingers, bones jutting out of the white knuckles.

"Rin go take some fresh air", Sesshomaru replied.

"WHAT IS THIS?!", she repeated.

"Tenmaru's hand", the Lady Mother answered gravely. "And a declaration of war."

"Oh Kami!", she whispered. "A-are you sure?"

She looked at Sesshomaru. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Rin, I am sorry."

"Oh gods", she whispered, running out, toward the balcony doors. The Lady Mother caught up with her and opened the door as quick as possible as Rin expelled everything that was in her stomach at that moment outside.

Sesshomaru took a deep breath and started to read the piece of paper, soon enough his irises reddening at the abomination the Empress of the Heartlands had written to justify her madness.

…End of chapter…

A/N: Sesshomaru very unwell, Tenmaru amputated, Rin and Sesshy at each other's throat, war, that one was nasty chapter! I am afraid there will be more of the those. Well at least I did not kill anyone…

…yet…

Anyway, review?

Answer to the previous ones…

Jj: Glad you are! ;)

Guest: Yeah sorry for the delay…hope you like this one anyway…

Davian: That is extremely long and time consuming to translate, I am not sure I can do that, but I do hope that you will enjoy the rest of the story! Thank you for the review(s) :D

Piggy-in-pink: Thank you so much for the compliment and the offer :D Though I noticed that you deactivated private message, which makes it a bit hard to chit chat about it. It matters not! Thanks for the feedback, I am glad to know that what I have written on pregnancy until now is somewhat right

Guest: Thanks! :D


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